The Asier Chronicles, books 1-3
by TheJadeArcAngel
Summary: Well folks here is the abrupt end to the Asier story line: HOWEVER, this storys end is the beginning of something else, something greater...I didnt mean to leave you all with such a cliffhangger but them's da breaks.
1. Prolouge

Prologue: The Science of Emotion  
  
Tyr sat in the lone and empty entry plug, his thoughts as silent as the wind in a ghost town. He felt at ease, peaceful, in the plug of his Evangelion, The Fenrir. But this peacefulness was not without is awkwardness. As he sat he could sense the dozens of neural sensor pads that had been implanted all across his white entry suite. He unfortunately noticed the one on his crotch, which was uncomforting considering this was a sync test and he would need to focus his attention on his task.not that painful sensor pad. But Tyr went on with the test nonetheless. "This is Tyr. I am all ready to begin the test of evangelion unit five." A voice suddenly filled the entry plugs main speakers. The voice was warm, yet un- nerving to the mind to have to hear more than once, "Very good Tyr. I was hoping for a quicker readiness ratio considering the superhuman that you are but I suppose a three and a half sync activation record is adequate enough for now. Lets try and work on that, hmm?" Tyr gritted his teeth and spoke as calmly as he could to his contact. "I am no superhuman, Dr. Aki. Just what YOU made me to be; now if you would so kindly get on with the test." the voice of Aki resonated throughout the plug. "Very well. But lets watch those outbursts of emotion Tyr. You know how I don't like it when you have outbursts. We will begin in twenty seconds." The comm. clicked off. Tyr sighed as he sat back in his seat, waiting for the time when his mind could escape into the free forming abyss of his evangelion. As he sat I the stillness he felt the sudden rush.  
  
From the Central HQ of the German NERV center, Dr Aki saw the entire nightmare begin again from her third level control room. Evangelion unit 5 began to struggle and pull at its restraints. With one mighty pull, the left arm tore itself out off the restraint and began to tear into its green armored chest plat, and then, claw into its own flesh as if it were trying to remove a lingering cancer. As the Eva continued to go crazy with rage, Dr. Aki sent an override signal into the EVA, shutting it down. After a call from the first level crew, Aki knew the pilot wasn't dead and the EVA not seriously damaged. But then again it wasn't like either mattered to her. Both possibilities were easily fixed. A call on her phone broke her way from her thoughts on Tyr as she picked up. "Hell, third level manager Aki speaking.. Yes sir.I'll be there in a hou-.right way. Yes sir." Aki hung up the phone and looked over at the Fenrir, the fifth model of evangelion in production. Once 03 and 04 were finished being rebuilt, the Asier team would be up and running with 4 evangelion units, including Evangelion Unit 6. Control of 4 Evas. Not even NERV HQ had that under its belt. Aki grinned as she sent in the entry plug eject code. She would allow Tyr is little fit, for now. But the time would come when his emotion would bother the EVA PRODJECT no more. She would see to that or die trying. As for the time at hand, SEELE awaited her company in Rome. The time to update her status had been called upon and she would not disappoint.not again  
  
Tyr still sat in his entry plug, alone. He wondered how it was possible for a human to feel so safe and secure within an instrument of violence and carnage like the EVA. It didn't matter to him. Tyr knew the price of victory was high and thus, sacrifices would have to be made. Acceptable terms to him. Tyr continued to relax until a team with laser operation cutters opened his hatch. How ironic, Tyr thought. A prisoner who liked his cell more than the outside world.  
  
Aki hated going through the process of interrogation used by the SEELE council. Having to sit nude before a group of 12 old and dieing men didn't rally make her day in the slightest. "Dr. Aki we have looked over your reports and research. We believe the project we assigned you too is going well, however it would seem the last angel has just been slain by 01. Are you positive this course of action you are suggesting is the correct one? The results in the DIVINE project were considered far to-" he was cut off by the enraged Aki. "How dare you question my work? The DIVINE prod." she calmed down and sat back in her chair, realizing the horrid mistake she had just made. Chairman Keel Lorenz then arose. "Dr. Aki Nagawa you have been called her because the operation you were to be working on has sent minimal results yet you seem to be very interested in handling the ASIER project. Why is this? Is it because you were able to produce a satisfactory pilot through Tyr?" "No sir. I simply wanted to use my bioengineering skills in the area that they needed more work in. The ASIER project is where my soul is, not in the petty instrumentality project, not project E, or even DIVINE. I want to show the world I have what it takes to leaned man into its next age, through he evangelion. And Tyr is doing just well." Keel sneered and threw a pile of paperwork at her feet. "You call 5 berserk outbursts and serious damage to the Second Branch "just well?" Dr. Aki may I remind you these things, the evangelions, are not show trophies for you jealousy towards Gendo, nor SEELE itself. You are here to manage the DIVINE project and its results. Damien and Helen seem to be fine yet Tyr has hand some serious difficulties. Should be sent another too you to see if it would be better?" said the German council member. Lorenz looked over at the man and frowned. "No. Tyr is the selected pilot of unit 5 and an indispensable part of these operations. He will not be replaced." "But Keel, don't you think the personal status with you and Tyr are clouding tour judgment on the issue that matters most? Without 7 functional pilots and the lance of Longinus we wont be able to succeed!" Keel gave the man a gaze that could melt stone and he muttered the words feared by many in SEELE and NERV. "I will speak with you latter." He said slowly. "If it is true the last angel is dead, than shouldn't we go to NERV at once to begin the operation? The UN is to be informed as well. Things must be set in motion before too late. Our time draws near sir." The Spanish SEELE member said in his thick accent of Mexico itself. Keel sat down and switched all monitors to a 3d image of evangelion 00 through 06. "These ate the tools of mans ascension. These are things made by man in mans own image. If not used correctly, they could destroy us all. The Longinus lance is a factor we must overcome with NERV's assistance. Gendo will be dealt with and Dr. Akagi will oversee the ascension from their on out. We have nothing to worry about but time now gentlemen.time we have, much to spare. We will prepare for the trip to the GeoFront on six days Aki. Have everything ready by then." Aki nodded. "But what of Rei Aiyanami and Gendo? Will we let them live?" asked Aki slowly. Keel smiled. "We need Aiyanami for the ascension, that is a fact Gendo conveniently worked out. But as for Gendo, we have something planned for him that will ensure his place in history. A martyr for our cause." Aki smiled as well and left the room to change and get ready to move 4 evangelions over-seas. SEELE muttered in unison as Keel got up. "Gentlemen the promised time is at hand. The traitor Ikari will be paid back I full, Aki and her warped science will guide her own end to its course, and we will go back into paradise as one being. Nothing can stop these facts from occurring: We have done it. The angels, Gods mightiest soldiers, have failed before mans might and thus, we will gain heaven as our reward."  
  
Gendo sat in is office, isolated from the everyday work he would normally be busy with. Today was the day everything would change. Dr. Akagi opened the door and stepped inside. "Is it done?" Gendo asked slowly. Akagi nodded. "She will be ready to see you in an hour. Shinji is in school. Should I contact him and have him come here?" Gendo paused. "No. Let him be. Shinji doesn't need to know about this. Not yet any way. The time for reunion will be in six days." Akagi frowned. "Bur sir its.never mind." Gendo watched the door close and as it did, he allowed himself a smile. Everything was going well, with no loose ends.except for the annoying little nuisance called his son. Emotions were tricky little switches to shut off but once learned how to be, they allowed for far more possibilities. Now all he had to worry about was hireling a decent cameraman to capture the images on SEELE's faces once his little secret was revealed on live television during the UN conference. Soon, everything would change.on his terms.  
  
Tyr sat in his little briefing room and looked over at Dr. Aki who was busy going over Sync data reports. "Tyr, are you ready for the days ahead?" Tyr simply answered. "Yes."  
  
Aki smiled and handed him a file. On it read: OPERATION ASIER. "You are to read this file until you have it memorized. Tomorrow you and Damien and Helen will go to NERV and meet Commander Ikari. I will join in a day or two. Just remember. Emotions are the bane of the EVA. To use them is to invite disaster. God himself knows you are last one who we need screwing up." Tyr said nothing. Aki exited the room and once again, Tyr was alone, free to his own dreams. Too bad most of them were nightmares 


	2. Revelations over Dinner

Chapter One: Revelations Over Dinner  
  
Shinji looked into the mirror and didn't see himself in his white dinner suite, rather, he saw a man, no a boy, who had murdered his own friend. Shinji thought long and hard before the mirror in the past but now was the first time he couldn't stand his own reflection. Besides, the UN Dinner was tonight and he would have to be fully prepared to face the world and accept responsibility for his actions as pilot of 01. How in the world would they accept the pilots based on whatever story NERV gave them? This was also a huge sword over Shinji's head, added onto the fact that Asuka and Rei would be there. Asuka. The name brought with it coldness now, an image of a fiery redhead with a heart of ice. How she would react to his being there would be one of his biggest challenges.how do you confront somebody like her. Then their was Rei.he would not dare face her In the Rei's case, ignorance would have to be bliss for the time being until he could think of another way to talk to her. But the real issue was his father. How he informed the world about the Evangelions, NERV, and the angels would be a complete enigma until he made his speech. The what? A sudden ring from the phone broke his thoughts and he answered. Mistao.  
  
"Its time Shinji. Lets go."  
  
A voice said over the phone, a voice that seemed to bring with it a motherly glow that eased Shinji's heart.a bit anyway. As Shinji exited the house he looked back and sighed. Today would be the last day he would see his house this way. Everything was about to change as of tonight.  
  
The north conference hall had been ripped open and cleaned out to create a huge conference room with an overhead view of the Evangelions in all their splendor, like giant monoliths to mans own glory looking down on their creators. The UN senators had arrived the night before and were given a huge guided tour of the main NERV facilities and were informed on the Evangelions themselves.well, a small explanation anyway. The delegates and ambassadors were all seated when Gendo arrived in his own white tuxedo and with black gloves replacing his normal pearl colored ones. His glasses were now silver and his hair was neatly cut to the standards of a military commander. He seemed ready to go to war. Dr. Akagi in a brilliant blue gown waked up slowly to Gendo and whispered in his ear,  
  
"She's ready to meet the UN when you give the word."  
  
She withdrew and exited Gendo's private chambers to herd the cooking staff towards serving the masses outside. Gendo couldn't help but smile  
  
The SEELE council sat in the room's center, all adorned in stark blue suites and white gloves, a type of, mass style. Keel looked over his PDA and then at the main platform where the speeches and addresses were to give. To his right a young girl with fiery red hair entered in a yellow dress and sat down at a reserved table.  
  
"Hmmm. That must be Mrs. Shoyu, correct?"  
  
Keel said to his assistant.  
  
"Yes sir. She is the pilot of EVA unit 02, the combat model."  
  
Keel reclined and sipped from his glass of red wine.  
  
"Very good. Where is our generous benefactor?"  
  
"He is in the back and is cueing the cameras crews on when to turn on. He will give an address on the EVA project, and then there is to be a guest speaker I believe."  
  
"Really. Tell Gene to delay the event until AFTER this second speaker. No need to waste a good show so early. I want to savor this moment."  
  
The assistant nodded and walked off. Keel looked on as the first child, Rei Aiyanami, sat at the reserved table.  
  
"How are you Asuka?" asked Rei quietly.  
  
"Oh shut up Wonder girl. I am fine and I don't need to hear anything from YOU!"  
  
Rei lowered her head and looked over at Shinji who was walking up with Misato and Akagi.  
  
"How nice to see you Asuka."  
  
Shinji said earnestly. Asuka's fiery gaze could have frozen fire but Shinji just smiled back.  
  
"I am fine. I just want this to be over with. Personally I prefer the hospital room to this public display of." she looked at Gendo and then at Rei, "...filth."  
  
Shinji frowned and laughed. "I am glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." Asuka looked at Shinji in wonder and thoughts something she would never have thought in a million years.  
  
"Is he developing a spine?"  
  
Suddenly Misato sat down and chattered up the table with stories of how hard it was to pack in so many old people into one place. "Hey Misato. Who is the guest speaker?"  
  
Misato shrugged.  
  
"Don't know. We'll find out cause here comes your father."  
  
Shinji gasped and looked over at the platform where Gendo stood before an assembly of microphones.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to NERV." There was a loud applause from many while others remained silent. "Tonight it will be my pleasure to inform you about the upcoming issues facing the entire planet. We as men must strive many trials to become the most powerful being in the Lords garden. We have also been very foolish. The Tower of Babel was one mistake. Man tried to create a physical structure to ascend up into heaven and speak one on one with God himself. The tower was struck down and man scattered across the mass to become various nations. But tonight I am pleased to tell you we have succeeded in the area where our ancestors failed. Standing above you is mans Babel, complete, unstuck, and ready to do man will. We as humans must prove ourselves worthy of attaining the ultimate power.independence from our ever-watching creator. The Evangelions have defeated all 17 of Gods messengers and in so doing proved we are ready to face the trials of the void itself. With the Evangelion we will smash through the coming years tests and tribulations to achieve our one desire.the power of eternal life man lost when Eve ate the forbidden fruit and tempted his husband Adam. Why should we suffer for the actions of another? I say we will enter a new genesis as of tonight. To elaborate more on this I would like to introduce my lovely wife Yui."  
  
The room was dead silent. Keel actually dropped his glass of wine all over the floor while Shinji's legs went dead under him and he fell right out of his chair. "Dear God sir, he's raised the dead!" Keels assistant whispered as a beautiful woman in a red dress walked onto the stage, a large brown book in her hands.  
  
"The Dead Sea Scrolls! How did? But how can she.what is going on!"  
  
said the Russian SEELE member. Keel signaled for the men to keep quiet as this woman began to speak. Shinji was aghast with horror and joy at the same time.  
  
"Mother! How can this be!"  
  
Suddenly Gendo walked up to him and extended his hand, helping Shinji up.  
  
"Just wait son. Soon, everything will be made clear."  
  
Yui cleared her throat and smiled.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, members of SEELE, and all the others. Today is a glorious day for the human race indeed. We have survived the tests of Gods messengers and succeeded in every area. But if you believe for a minute that the battle with the forces of the Almighty is over, you are wrong. Man may have survived the trials of heaven but the wars with the legions of hell have just begun. Man will now enter into combat with the four beats of the pit itself and then the last trial will be opened. Once these five enemies are vanquished, the world wills enter a new millennia of creation. Christ bought us all two millennia through his noble act but we must now prove ourselves worthy of his noble sacrifice. We must not wait for a savior, but rather, achieve salvation ourselves! The pilots of the Evangelions are truly mankind's messiahs. But they will not be enough for the coming days. To assist them, four new soldiers will join them and become members of NERV. Allow me to introduce them to you all."  
  
The shocked silent crowd looked over and saw three figures enter the platform, all in standard EVA flight suites. The first was a tall boy in a solid black suite, his eyes the brightest blue ever beheld by mortal man, almost to the point of glowing. He had long slicked black hair and pale white skin, a look of confidence upon him.  
  
"I am Damien, designated pilot of Evangelion unit 6."  
  
He bowed slightly and walked over to Yui. The next was a tall girl with long flowing locks of blonde hair. Her small glasses offset her green eyes and she spoke with a slight Russian accent.  
  
"I am Helen, pilot of Evangelion unit 4."  
  
She curtsied and stepped over next to Damien. The second to last was a stark boy with ice white skin, red hair and green eyes. His white suite brought out the emotionless look on his face.  
  
"I am the pilot of Evangelion unit 5. If you must call me anything, call me Tyr."  
  
The last was a face Shinji thought he'd never see again.  
  
"I am Toji Suzuhara, pilot of Evangelion unit 03."  
  
The last person to walkout was a beautiful woman who looked amazingly like Misato, with long purple hair and a military class jacket.  
  
"I am Dr. Aki, proprietor of these Evangelions and their staff."  
  
She smiled sarcastically at Gendo and walked over to the pilots, amazed to see Yui as much as anybody else in the room. Yui smiled and opened the Dead Sea Scrolls.  
  
"And in the coming days, a lance will fall to the earth, opening the last level of the pit. And from it will come five tests in the form of five beats. Man will do battle with the beats and from their victory, the almighty will bless then with a decision. These words foretell of mans fate. We must strive to achieve these prophecies lest men be obliterated by the demons. We have to but choose the time of their arrival."  
  
By now Keel was almost in a rage. He burst up and pointed squarely at Gendo.  
  
"Ikari. What is this blasphemy at which you spout at us through your vile creation! THIS MEETING IS OVER!"  
  
Keel hit a button on a small beepe and signaled the sniper who was waiting at the upper level of the lighting fuxtures, his scope dead set on Ikari's head.With a pull of the trigger, a bullet struck Gendo in the side of the head, a spray of blood hitting Shinji on his white suite. The room was now in a panic as delegates rushed to the exits only to find them blocked by soldiers with SEELE insignias. Keel and the other SEELE members walked onto the platform and looked upon Yui.  
  
"How nice to see you again Chairman Keel." Yui said mockingly. Suddenly Gendo got up from the ground where he lay and stepped up to the platform next to Keel.  
  
"Next time, use a stronger bullet."  
  
He said as calmly as man in his situation could. Keel was in such shock he didn't notice Gendo put a gun to his chest.  
  
"Now Mr. Keel, you will let the UN go to their respective countries. The message has been delivered and they must now tell their respective nations the same. Mankind dosents have much time left and we would like to inform you further if you would allow us to."  
  
Lorenz pushed the gun away and looked over at the SEELE members.  
  
"Ikari if you dint explain this is a away that answers all our question, this will be your last night alive. And the next tile I think an N2 mine will prove a much stronger bullet."  
  
Gendo smiled as the Un began to escape to their jets and transports. Shinji looked up at Yui and then at Gendo, the blood on his suite still warm. Yui stepped down from the platform and walked up to shinji, her eyes as lovely as he remembered them to be.  
  
"Shinji, I am very glad to see you again." Shinji began to weep as he embraced his mother, blood be damned. Keel looked over at Gendo.  
  
"You will explain THIS first!"  
  
Gendo laughed. "I intended to. We will all go to a private room I assembled for our meeting. If you would follow me?" Keel sneered.  
  
"It would seem you intend to lead us into hell Ikari."  
  
"Far from it. But you'll never know unless you trust me." Keel laughed and walked along with Gendo. The others followed shortly as Yui took Shinji's hand. "Come along. We mustn't be late."  
  
Yui said warmly as he and her son walked up with the others. Misato drew her handgun and followed up while Asuka, still speechless, chased after her. Rei stood motionless.  
  
"Come along Rei. You are needed with us as well!" Yui said. A single tear rolled down Reis cheek as she walked off, leavening the conference room as empty as a tomb.  
  
The conference room where everyone was now assembles was a small room with a central table. As SEELE sat, Yu and Gendo took the space at the head of the table.  
  
"Allow me to introduce my wife, I believe you all know her. But what some of you do not know is that Yui was the victim of a disastrous sync test with Evangelion unit 1. As of 7 days ago, the Magi and Dr. Akagi were able to reconstruct her body within an entry plug filled with a new type of DNA encoded LCL. This process reassembled Yui and her memories of the Evangelion itself. She is now the only on who knows what the Eva's really are."  
  
Yu smiled. "Yes. During my time as a subconscious in 01, I learned of the Eva's purpose. We believed the second angel, Adam, to have been a punisher. Rather, he was actually a herald for the trials man needed to face due to the disturbance of Lilith. Although misguided at the time, man was ready to face the angels and with them, their mutual tests. The angels were not the kind of messengers we expected tough. They would destroy mankind if they found were able to stop them, for if we can not stop them, how could be stop the forces of Hades. We would have had to be obliterated, rather than have our souls damned in combat against the pit."  
  
Keel got up, very agitated. "But Yui. Why did you not tell us this before we planned out the DIVINE project and its outcome?"  
  
"Because if you knew you would have tried to dominate the situation. In your case eh DIVINE project was needed but not in the way you assumed. We will need them to fight the demons, which are certain. I needed you to give us the perfect soldiers and apparently, you have." Tyr smiled.  
  
"You have us but what is it we are to do. OPERATION ASIER is apparently a no go. What now" Gendo stepped in.  
  
"Incorrect. Operation Asier will take place but only once the demons have been destroyed. You pilots will be our soldiers in this area."  
  
Shinji walked over to Toji while Gendo went on.  
  
"Hey Toji! How have you been?" Suzuhara laughed.  
  
"Me? You know me, I've been fine. After I left Tokyo 3 , these guys sent me to some research station on Germany where my Evangelion was rebuilt. My sister was transferred over with me and is fine. She recovered a few days ago. But now I guess my Eva days are just beginning eh Shinji?"  
  
Shinji looked over at Gendo and thought about how he helped him up. It was the fist real fatherly thing he had ever done for him. Misato then stepped into the conversation.  
  
"Madam Ikari, you said we would have to choose the time when the tests would begin? How is this?" Yui walked over and outstretched her hand.  
  
"You must be Misato Katsuragi. I knew your father very well and would have gone on the trip to Antarctica with him and Gendo had he not talked me out of it I owe your father my life."  
  
Misato sighed and then blushed. "That makes two of us." She shook Yui's hand and in so doing, felt a feeling of love and respect coming off her like heat.  
  
"I must repay you for taking care of Shinji. But as to your question it concerns the Lance of Longinus and its counterpart, Adams Cross. When we found the Lance it was with Lilith in the Antarctic. After the second impact a team went out and found what we have dubbed "Adams Cross". It is a part of The Longinus Lance and it will be the key to summon the forces of the pit."  
  
The African SEELE member rose up and scoffed. "Then we are all doomed. Due to Gendo's foolishness we lost the lance. It is in orbit around the planet!"  
  
Then the silent Dr. Akagi stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Not so. In a conjunction with NASA, we have set a plan in motion to retrieve the Lance. It will be back in our atmosphere within two days."  
  
Keel sighed a frustrated sigh and walked over to the exit.  
  
"Very well. SEELE will allow this operation to go on, but not with Gendo as its leader. YOU, Mrs. Yui, who have proven to reliable to us in the past, will now head up this situation and lead NERV here. Dr. Aki, you and your team will remain here under Mrs. Ikari's authority. I will expect results and an update in two days."  
  
"Yes sir" said Yui as the SEELE council exited the room. Misato and everyone lese was once more, speechless. Rei walked over to Yui and looked her over.  
  
"We are.the same?"  
  
Yui laughed a bit and then looked into Rei's eyes.  
  
"No. We are as different as day and night. You are unique Rei Aiyanami. Did you know if I had a daughter, she was to be named Rei?"  
  
Rei then embraced Yui as Gendo walked over to Shinji.  
  
"The time will soon come when you must re-enter unit one. Are you ready for that responsibility?"  
  
Shinji looked over at Toji, Asuka, Misato, Dr. Akagi, Gendo, Rei and finally at Yui.  
  
"Yes. Here is where I belong."  
  
Gendo smiled. "I am glad to hear it." Shinji was right. Tonight was the night everything would change, however it wasn't for the worst, rather the better. Yui then caught everyone's attention as she spoke in a stern but commanding voice,  
  
"Lets get to bed. Tomorrow will be a big day for all of us."  
  
Everyone silently agreed and exited the room. Asuka smiled at Shinji but caught herself as he turned to face her.  
  
"Hey Shinji!" she said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Sorry for what I said earlier. With all that's going on, you don't need my comments." Shinji smiled again and simply said,  
  
"Are you crazy! Without you, I'd be lost!"  
  
Those words froze Asuka in her tracks as she once again found herself wondering about this new Shinji. What had happen to him to change his personality so much? She would make it her new dedication to find out.  
  
Gendo walked along the NERV walkway, staggered, and collapsed on the floor. As he saw his own blood he smiled.  
  
"How nice to see something to reassure me I am still mortal after all." With those words he became unconscious and was rushed to the NERV hospital ward. 


	3. Decent into the Abyss

CHAPYER 2: Decent into the Abyss  
  
Yui looked over her notes and the massive pile of paperwork before her. Although NERV existed outside the current system of law, for now, the entire situation with the SEELE assassin had caused great concern among more than a few UN members. As the word being spread that the Evangelions needing to be re-deployed within the year, most nations were more than happy to grant NERV access to their cities. After all, one wouldn't want to be caught helpless while a huge demon terrorized you capital. The only "reluctant" nations to be unaffiliated with NERV at the moment were Australia and India, both of whom were still trying to cope with the repercussions of the great war that ripped through the planet after the second impact. A tall man in a black uniform entered the office once held by Gendo, and approached Yui's paper clogged desk.  
  
"Madam Ikari."  
  
The man said slowly, as if trying to conceal some terrible secret.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Yui replied softly, her eyes still on the masses of forms and files before her.  
  
"A Shinji Ikari is here to see you, along with the pilots of Evangelon 00 and 02."  
  
"Oh, yes. I sent for them. Let them in"  
  
"Yes Madam."  
  
The man bellowed as he exited the room for a moment, when he re-entered, he had with him three children in their everyday school uniforms.  
  
"Um, mother?" asked Shinji slowly  
  
"Yes Shinji?" Yui said playfully, trying to evoke some emotion of happiness within her awkwardly shy son.  
  
"Its just.um..well.." Shinji stammered. Asuka patted Shinji on the back and, after knocking the wind out of him, she filled in the gaps,  
  
"Mrs. Ikari would you want to go to dinner with us tonight?" She said in her most "matter of fact" manner. Yui looked over at the plies of paperwork, then at the heavily breathing Shinji.  
  
"Compared to this office, going out would be a dream come true. After all, being stuck inside an evangelions unconscious for a few years can put a real cramp in ones social style. Where will we be going?"  
  
Yui said. As Shinji and Asuka chuckled, she looked over at the now smiling Rei Aiyanami.  
  
"We were thinking of a place."  
  
Shinji said with a tone of slyness in his voice that hinted Rei and Asuka off. They all chuckled. Yui smiled to see three of the world's saviors at peace for the time being.  
  
The Ramen stand outside of the main hustle and bustle was a quaint little setup with the standard seller who had a variety of non-meat products for Rei, and plenty of Sharks Finn foe Asuka. Yui sipped at her hot garlic Ramen while Shinji just looked in awe at his mother, sitting there, alive and well.  
  
"I know it will take some time to get used to me Shinji but I feel very happy now that I' am able to communicate with you physically, not merely the mental images the 01's subconscious allowed me to project. It works much easier too!"  
  
Shinji laughed so hard he nearly sent broth out his nose, the simple sight of which sent Asuka convulsing ton a long and hearty laugh. As Shinji wiped if face off and saw Rei looking over at him, quietly, as if she were studying an easily frightened animal  
  
"Mother, what will happen to dad."  
  
"Yes, what will happen to the Commander, Mrs. Ikari?"  
  
asked the puzzled Rei slowly, as she always spoke on matters concerning Gendo.  
  
"The doctors say he'll be fine in a day to so. Just in time to see the lance returns to us."  
  
Asuka made a face at the mention of the Longinus Lance, the tool Rei used to save her from an angel who nearly killed her through mental contamination.  
  
"Through a contact within NASA, NERV has arranged for the Lance to be fitted with a massive rocket that will guide the spear back into our atmosphere before it exits the gravitational pull of the Earth."  
  
Yui continued. "After the lance has been returned, it will be picked up by the three of you while Adams Crest is picked by the new pilots. Then we will access the best way to join the two halves together. Theoretically, once the two halves are assembled, the six trials will begin. The first is to be a serpent with the power of the seas. The second is a flying demon with the strength of ages. The Third is a beast of immense size and weight where as the 4th is to be a creature without form and the 5th is to be in the form of a man yet it will contain dreadful power. Then the last challenge will be opened up before the world.the Beast itself."  
  
Shinji looked at his still warm food at then at Yui.  
  
"Do you think we can do this?" said Rei, to which Yui giggled and replied.  
  
"Alone, none of you could stop the demons but together you are all unstoppable. I believe in all of you." Those words inspired all three of them with the one thing they all needed: confidence  
  
Misato was busy trying to find food for Pen Pen when the phone wrung in its normally annoying tone.  
  
"Oh jeez what now!"  
  
said Misato in agitation was she walked past the squawking little penguin who was wondering why his food bowl was empty, instead of full.  
  
"Katsuragi here." She began  
  
"Misato get to HQ NOW! Something going on!" said Ritsuko in a rush as she hung up the phone. Misato hung up and got on her jacket, leavening the hungry penguin a whole open bag of food all hi himself, which suited him just fine. Central Dogma was amaze of new equipment, all meant for the new EVA's, as Misto entered the control room, alight with activity.  
  
"Major! Something is going wrong with the Atlantis. Reports from the shuttle say it's a malfunction with the rocket system. The Longinus Lance isn't moving towards the designated launch site. If the rocket goes off, the lance could be sent into the ocean or worse!"  
  
"Maya, get back inline with the Atlantis crew while I try to check the online status of the Shuttle"  
  
said Ritsuko while Fuyutsuki sat in for Gendo.  
  
"Katsuragi, get the EVA pilots to their positions at once and Ritsuko, get the EVA's their new batteries. Lets hope they wont have use all the power they'll provide just to get out to wherever the Lance falls and then gets stranded."  
  
Misato agreed and went to call up the pilots when they and Yui entered.  
  
"What's going on here?" asked Yui  
  
"Chaos, Yui, chaos. There is a possibility the lance could fall out of our designated falling area. For all we know, it could land right on top of this station or in a volcano!"  
  
Yui's face deepened in frustration.  
  
"No. I am sure the Lance will be acquired in the designated time slot. Nit to worry."  
  
"But Yui." Fuyutsuki satarted in.  
  
  
  
"Commander don't worry. I wasn't your star student because I made wild guesses all the time. Even if the Lance did land outside of our area it wouldn't be so bad. Its nothing the evangelion wouldn't be able to handle anyway."  
  
"Yeah. Its not like this is the worst thing to happen in while, wondering about where a large object is going o land on the planet from orbit. I knew for a fact we've been through lot worse!" said Misato as she called up the NASA center in Houston, Texas. Suddenly the monitors went red as the real- time image of the Shuttle showed the Lances rocket engines kicked in and sent the lance hurdling towards the planet.  
  
"Oh dear Lord!" said Hyuga as the image of the speeding spear became magnified. "The trajectory at which its flying plus the calculation of the Magi all point to the.oh god no!" Her silence triggered a sudden attention spike.  
  
"Maya, where if the Lance going to land?"  
  
"The Maianus Trench! The lance will fall right into the Atlantic Ocean!" Yui smiled as she walked up to the command tower to sit next to Fuytusuki.  
  
"What will be do Mrs. Ikari?" said Misato as Yui took on a look like that of Gendo, with her fingers arched over her nose in a thinking position. She then got up and looked over at Shinji.  
  
"Shinji! Take unit one and its new battery system Inform Unit 5 he will accompany him!" Misato nodded. "Right! I'll call Tyr in his dorm."  
  
"Ritsuko, get 01 and 05 ready for launch! How much time before the lance hits water?" Maya looked over her calculations and pointed it out to Ritsuko who replied,  
  
"About an hour."  
  
Yui nodded in confirmation. Misato hung up the phone as shouted up to Yui. "Tyr is on his way!" she said aloud.  
  
In twenty minutes, Evangelion unit 01 and 05 were assembled on two massive flight carriers. Misato and Yui were on the plane while Fuyutsuki commander operations back at NERV. Evangelion unit 5 was a truly awesome creation. The base color was a deep jade green, with blue highlights and odd metal gauntlets on the forearms and legs. These were AT field activated metal blades, making 05 the ultimate in hand to hand combat, while 01 was equipped with a small model had cannon in case the lance was buried in rubble or became struck. Tyr and Shinji sat within their entry plugs while Misato informed then the Lance had hit water about two hours before and that its position was miles below the waves. Hopefully the pressure of the currents and depth wouldn't harm the EVA's.  
  
"The two of you will jettison from your carriers once over the targets range and then you will activate you new battery system. You ate to find the lance and return it to the surface at once!" Said Misato. Shinji confirmed with an "Ok", while Tyr merely muttered a phrase and waited his jettison orders.  
  
"Once below the water, activate your shoulder-rail jet systems to give you some control over your movement."  
  
"I KNOW how to operate my evangelion Mrs. Katsuragi. Can we begin now?" said Tyr coldly.  
  
"LAUNCH!" cried Yui over the intercom. In that instant, both evangelions dropped like professional athletic divers as they plunged beneath the blue sea. As they looked around, Shinji found The Fenrir and made visual contact. Now came the hard part: trying to find a sunken spear in the darkness of the ocean.  
  
"Hey Tyr. How did you get selected to be an EVA pilot?"  
  
"Ikari do me a favor and shut up. Until we find the Lance, remain silent, ok?"  
  
"Sure. Didn't mean to-"  
  
"No, you probably didn't but you did, now cut it out!"  
  
Shinji felt upset over pissing Tyr off but simply chalked it up to dedication to the mission at hand. After about half an hour of scaling along the rocky canyons and cliffs in the oceans bottom Tyr spotted the target, jutting out of a crevice like a huge landmark.  
  
"05 has confirmed the Lances position and is moving in to intercept. As 01 followed up in the pursuit, Tyr approached the Lance and grabbed it with the Fenrir's hand. Suddenly a surge of white hot power surged up from the Lance and it went through Tyr head like a freight train, a deep pulsating, raw power. After Shinji saw the Fenrir convulsing to the Lances touch he pulled him away from the Lances electrical grip, "IKARI! What do you think your doing?" shouted Tyr after he regained his wits.  
  
"Its called saving you, jerk! Why don't you like he talking to you or now, rescuing you!"  
  
"If I need saving, I'll let you know GOT IT?" cried Tyr. Suddenly a huge shadow eclipsed them both from above and then vanished.  
  
"What was that Tyr?" asked Shinji is a very cautious tone, as if his voice could bring back whatever it was that had overshadowed them. Tyr navigated the Fenrir around the lance a ways and then came back. "I don't see anything. Mrs. Katsurgai, is sonar detecting anything down here?"  
  
"Negative" replied Misato. Shinji went to take hold of the lance but in a flask he was swatted back by a long black tail. Using the small powered jets Shinji regained movement of 01 and looked up to see a massive black serpent with a set of glowing blue eyes that bathed the surroundings in an eerie light.  
  
"MISATO! SOMETHINGS DOWN HERE!" cried Shinji angrily as the lengthy black serpent jetted past 01 and slung it against a rock wall with the middle of its serpentine body. Fenrir activated its metal blades and readied himself for combat. The huge black serpent recoiled its length of its body and used its recoil to glide up towards the surface and then slam down onto 05, smashing it against the ground. Tyr sneered as he sliced his arm blades along the beast's side, opening up a river of purple black blood. The screaming beast noticed 01 in the corner of its eye and with a thunderous roar, emitted a shock wave of raw force from its throat the shattered some of the internal components in the entry plug. Tyr, still enraged, reared up and began to teat his blades into the creatures flesh, creating more blood until the water was clouded with it. 01 staggered up from its shockwave and caught hold oh the monsters jaw as it tried to swept past, ripping out teeth as it went. Shinji roared in aggravation as he actually slung the beasts head against the ocean cliff floor and places his Evangelion goof squarely over its blue eyes, then, he applied pressure, trying to break its skull. Suddenly, the creature's skin sprouted various tendrils of black and purple muscle that roped around 01's arms and chest. Shinji could feel the beast's dreadful power begin to wash over him like an electric flood,  
  
"T-T-ty-y-r!!! He-lp M..e, me!"  
  
he wailed Tyr saw the horrific truth before him. It was a creature like an angel and it was trying to fuse with 01. Tyr snapped into action, moving to the Lance, Tyr began to pull with all his might; resisting the horrific pain the lance was sending through him. Finally he uprooted and extended the lances pronged form. "HEY UGLY!" He shouted. The beast moves its head to look sat Tyr, and then it was Shinji acted. With gargantuan strength, Shinji grappled the beast's head and lifted it up over his body. Tyr then rammed the massive metal spire through the beasts head, and with it, sent a body ripping current of sheer power that tore its muscles part from the inside and resulted in a black-purple explosion of skin and blood. As the blood settled 01 and 05 ascended up to the surface where a massive naval frigate awaited them.and the Lance. 01 and 05 were moderately damaged when the two salvaged from the waves, as well as covered in the creature's thick paste like blood, which resembled the texture of oil. As Misato and Yui came into the clean-off room .Tyr was walking out when he looked over at Yui.  
  
"Don't worry about the Lance. The demons are here already. We slew one down there. It was guarding the Lance."  
  
"Then it has begun, we were too late to control where the demons would arrive. Now they will arrive at random, like the angels. We have awakened then from their prison. They will go where the Eva's are now. NERV is going to become a war zone of destruction again."  
  
Yui said grimly. Tyr simply shook his head in agitation.  
  
"Why dose that matter: carnage and sacrifice are all apart of life. I would rater live life and embrace death, rather than cower in terror of my fate. That is why Shinji is weak" said Tyr coldly. With those words, Tyr walked off. Alone. Shinji informed Misato and Yui of the creature while the lance was placed aboard a new super carrier in preparation to go to NERV. Misato walked in on Yui who was drinking a cup of coffee. "What will happen now?" Misato said.  
  
"That seems to be the magic question these days. I will go to Rome and meet with SEELE. They will need to approve a huge budget increase for all NERV branches. The demons were supposed to have been summoned up to arrive every month in conjunction with the phases of the moon. But now they could show up any time and wipe out anyplace on the globe. These will be chaotic times Misato. And I haven't even replayed you for taking care of Shinji in my.absence."  
  
"What was it like in 01?"  
  
" It was lie being in a never-ending dream. Whenever Shinji would be in the entry plug I could sense his soul and I could communicate with it to an extent, although never in the way I would have liked to.dreams confuse, you forger, and then you wonder. Shinji needs a person to anchor him down to this world, lest his soul escape into a dream."  
  
"Well that's easy. Its you!" said Misato cheerfully.  
  
"No. Its not me who keeps him here, its another."  
  
  
  
. 


	4. The Awakening

Chapter 5: The Awakening  
  
The 797 Airliner was over the continent of Europe when the phone onboard rang for her, shaking her from her sleep. "Ikari here.yes.REALY! Excellent. Until I return Fuyutsuki is in charge, understand? Ok Misato.Goodbye" Yui hung up the phone and wondered when this nightmare of EVA, SEELE, and ASIER would end. The captain announced the shuttle would be landing in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes until she could increase NERV's budget and get back home. Home. A place to where one could return too. How she longed for one again.  
  
The hospital staff was abuzz with commotion as they tended to the wound in the side of the commanders head, amazed he was able to carry on an entire meeting with it openly bleeding. After an hour in surgery and about sixty stitches, the wound had been healed over with artificial skin and a slight comb over hid a majority of the scar. Shinji and Rei looked through the hospital ward glass as Gendo exited the infirmary, a handful of forms in his grip. As Gendo approached the exit Shinji waited to meet him. Gendo stepped out from the hospital and saw his two Eva pilots waiting their next to him.  
  
"Ah good, you're both here."  
  
"Yes commander. We were concerned for you" Rei quietly muttered.  
  
"Yeah. We waited through the surgery.how are you?" asked Shinji inquisitively  
  
"Nothing a little hard work wont fix. Like I said. SELLE should have used a bigger bullet." Gendo chuckled at his own little joke and walked along the hall with Shinji and Rei at I side.  
  
"Where is Asuka?" Gendo asked.  
  
"She's with Dr. Aki. Some sort of sync test with a new EVA she is going to try piloting for a while."  
  
"What about the unit 02?" Gendo said curiously.  
  
"Dr. Aki has asked she take it under her branch of the piloting roster. I think she wants to use some of its data for some weird experiment." Gendo frowned and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"That would be something the renowned Dr. Aki would try. I don't really trust the intentions of SEELE when they hired her. She is always scheming something."  
  
"Just like you commander" said Rei.  
  
"Indeed. That's why I am worried. By the way, where did Yui go off t. One of the nurses said she went on a business trip?"  
  
"Yeah, to Rome. The SEELE council wanted to interrogate her on a matter of a budget increase." Gendo froze in is tracks, a place look over his face.  
  
"Rei, the SEELE council dose not operate out of Rome. They have no one place of meeting at all. There is only one place Yui could be going in Rome! We have to get to Dr. Akagi!"  
  
Yui exited the plane at the Rome terminal and saw three men in dark outfits awaiting her with sign reading "IKARI" Yui approached the men and showed them her ID. On of the men nodded and they escorted her out of the airport to a black car. Once inside, Yui opened her purse and waited until the car was moving, then she pulled out a semiautomatic.  
  
"Ok boys listen here. I know who you all work for and it is not SEELE. Take me to LEGION at once!"  
  
The men all gulped in shock an did as they were told. After all, who wanted to be shot dead by an angry woman. The car went on through the countryside until it came upon an old facility in the country, an ugly run down building with a seemingly new barbed wire fence. As Yui was brought inside She was shown a large freight elevator that lead down beneath the Italian soil, probably to some sort of bunker. Yui aimed her gun at the men and pointed to the door.  
  
"You will wait her me here until I return and if I find you have left me here I swear I will not rest until you are terminated. Got it?"  
  
All three staged bows and sat on the floor, afraid to move. Yui then turned to look at the elevator, which only had one setting. Basement level. Without hesitation Yui hit the button and found herself descending for almost 20 minutes. Whoever had foolishly tired to lure her here was either very dumb or very confident. Capturing the top leader at NERV tended to carry with it a death warrant. The elevator stopped in front of a single entrance, which automatically open with a sharp his. Yui lifted up her gun and walked inside to see a single conference table with a lone chair. Suddenly an insidious voice filled the room.  
  
"Welcome Yui Ikari. You will do us the honor of sitting down?"  
  
Yui smiled and packed away her gun, then sat down., still unable to see who was speaking. Then, a row of light flipped in and revealed another individual, a man in his 50's, at the other end of the room, his body adorned in a beautiful white suite, a red triangle on his lapel.  
  
"I see the infamous LEGION dose indeed exist? Who are you to try and abduct me?" The old man laughed and tapped his pin.  
  
"Oh my dear Yui. We did not capture you. As you must have deduced, you got here just fine and avoided meeting our dummy sponsors. Pity. They all so wanted to meet you. But we knew you would get here nonetheless. But as to why we summoned you, I have a proposition for you."  
  
Yui laughed and put her elbows on the table in a leaning smile.  
  
"I am all ears.and trigger finger. You have five minutes." The old man laughed louder this time as he leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Ok fine. We at LEGION would like you too transfer control of NERV from SEELE to ourselves. Nothing more, nothing less. Yui pulled back from her smile and shifted to a frown.  
  
"Why may I ask?"  
  
"It would seem you and you associates have been working for the wrong people. The old men at SEELE are misguided members of the LEGION. They are defectors who, although influential, are traitors to our cause. "  
  
"Which is.?"  
  
"The subjugation of the human race plane and simple."  
  
"Well at least you know your goals."  
  
"we try to keep things in perspective, yes."  
  
"No"  
  
"why may I ask?"  
  
"Because the purpose of the Evangelion is to liberate mankind not to enslave it! SEELE is simply an assembly of tired old men looking for a ticket into heaven and for the price mankind will pay I say its worth it!"  
  
"FOOL!" The old man shouted. "You know nothing of SEELE! They intend to send the souls of man rocketing into oblivion as they ascend!"  
  
"Maybe. But we'll be able to stop that before it happens. You are nothing more than a terrorist organization with delusion of grandeur!" By now the old ma was livid.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!"  
  
"How dare I? As I recall you are the one who lied you get me here, tried to coax me into joining you and are now mocking me. Who here is the fool?"  
  
The old man calmed down and looked Yui over. "You know I wont settle for this. Simply allow LEGION access to the Evangelion. String SEELE along".  
  
"We already are. You have no place in the grand design anymore. You might have once but now you will become as dust in the final days." Yui said calmly.  
  
"LEGION is everywhere Mrs. Ikari. Our agents will be watching you very carefully from here on out."  
  
"And so will mine. Don't think I don't know you've already spoken with Aki. She will be watched as well I will say good day to you Mr..?"  
  
"If you must give me a name, call me Mr. Abraham."  
  
"Very well Mr. Abraham. I hope to never see you again."  
  
With those calm words Yui walked back to the exit elevator and went up to her waiting car. Mr. Abraham sighed as he pulled out a small cellular phone.  
  
"Hello. It's me. No. We'll' have to go to step two before those dammed PALADINS interfere."  
  
  
  
NERV was in a panic as the 797 returned to the landing bay and Yui exited. Apparently the Evangelions were about to rip Rome apart in search for her.  
  
"I am fine. I simply had a very disagreeable offer from another r corporation. It was nothing." Yui replied calmly to Misato who was a fuss with worry.  
  
"Are you telling the truth Mrs. Ikari?"  
  
"Oh yes. The people I meet with tried to make their offer sound conceivable but it didn't hold water. They even went as far as to posse as SEELE. Thus I allowed myself to go along with "Their" plan. Once in Rome I shot their offer down like an wounded angel and here I an, safe and sound."  
  
Gendo walked into the main office where everyone had gathered. "Was this LEGION? Were they the ones behind this?"  
  
Gendo said slowly, as if trying to suppress a heavy anger.  
  
"Yes. A man named Mr. Abraham spoke on their behalf and made the initial encounter. He told me he wanted to relinquish NERV from SEELE to LEGION and give them use of the Evangelions."  
  
"Yui you know what this means don't you? LEGION? SEELE may have us all killed!"  
  
  
  
"Oh please Gendo why are you all of a sudden so worried. This is YOU, the stone rock, turning into a puddle over something a trivial as a rejected offer. Its not like they swore vengeance or anything." Asuka very calmly interjected on everyone else's behalf. "Who or WHAT is this "LEGION"?  
  
Yui smiled and turned to face Asuka in her chair. "LEGION is a radical assembly of world leaders from various nations who assume the guise of the ILLUNINATI. They believe they have been running the world and that SEELE is a rebel faction of defectors from their camp. They wanted SEELE out of the way, like we were about to do something for them that THRY wanted to have."  
  
Gendo looked out the offices window and sighed. "Would you leave us alone for a moment?"  
  
"Yes sir." Misato said as she rushed everyone out of the office and closed the doors.  
  
"Yui what you did could endanger the entire project.  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"SEELE has forbidden anyone from NERV to even associate with that insane faction and here you go, toting a gun into a meeting with one of their representatives!"  
  
"They never said who they were on the call and I rooted out a possible LEGION contact. Aki may be under their influence."  
  
"Aki? Why. SEELE has always been loyal to her endeavors before and provided he millions. Why would she turn to something like LEGION?"  
  
"More money power, a ticket into the ascension. YOU do know they want the same thing as SEELE. A pathway to Zion."  
  
"Yes. I now all to well, But if THEY get the gateway than all the human race and indeed, al creation, could be eradicated. SEELE is a very easy thing to rectify but LEGION.I expect it will be a matter of time till they make their move on NERV."  
  
"Maybe. But lets let them think they are in control for now. No need letting either SEELE or LEGION interfere with the plans were are setting up.  
  
"Indeed." Said Gendo. " And Dr. Aki?"  
  
"Let her be. But if she begins to act suspicious in any way report it to me at once." Yui looked over to see Gendo halfway started in a laugh.  
  
"What is so funny?" Yui snapped sarcastically. "That was supposed to be my line." Yui smiled and went back to looking over her schedule.  
  
"Since the awakening of the five demons it seems do odd to not be worrying about them." Said Gendo. "Don't worry about the awakened. The good Lord knows their time and place. All we need be is ready."  
  
Mr. Abraham sat in his office and listened to the council gathered before him.  
  
"The Ikari woman is a powerful threat to LEGION" one voice said. "I agree. NERV should be taken by force and quickly!" another cried. Mr. Abraham smiled and addressed the concerns of those gathered with him.  
  
"Hear me LEGION. The time to awaken our sleeping demon has arrived. NERV will be ours within the week!" 


	5. One True Love, One True Enemy

Chapter 3: One True Love, One True Enemy  
  
Shinji sat on the couch as he flipped through the various channels on the ever-boring television. Most of the channels were all focused ob the Evangelions mission in the ocean from the day before but some decent stations were broadcasting some enjoyable shows, Trigun for one. Shinji laughed over Vash's awkwardness as Misato entered, a bag of groceries in her arms.  
  
"Hey Shinji, Toji and Rei will be here tonight so get this place cleaned up some will ya?"  
  
She put the groceries down and walked over to the sill reclining Shinji.  
  
"I said.NOW!"  
  
she bellowed in a tone that threw Shinji off the couch and falling flat on his back in shock "YES MAAM!" he staggered as hey quickly gathered up the trash left over from Asuka's snack binge the night before.  
  
"hey Misato. Where has Asuka gone off to? She was at school today but didn't walk home with me. Is she with Hokaru?"  
  
"No. She said she had to go speak with dr. Aki this afternoon. Why anybody would want to hear that bizarre woman more than once tough is beyond me. Ewhh. Just looking into her ice blue eyes gives he the creeps. HEY, speaking of creeps, why don't you go see if Ida would want to come over for dinner!" she said in her playful tone. "Nah, he's gone to some military station with his dad. Something about a new prototype fighter jet or something."  
  
"Oh. Well.their always one of the new pilots. I guess it would be rude to leave then out of an event involving the others.how about Helen. She seems nice enough!"  
  
The amount of information in front of Helens eyes would have staggered any normal human being, but she seemed to be absorbing every digital bit. The screens flashed over her for nearly twelve minutes before she shut them off and took a small breather.  
  
"Wow Helen, you sure seem to know your way around the NERV computer systems." Said Maya in her most amazed voice.  
  
"It seems the ability for myself to decipher the art of computers are.intertwined. One might say I was born with the skills needed to get me any job in the world, since so many now use these 8th generation machines."  
  
"Yeah, us geeks need to keep the world in running order." Maya chimed in as Helen went back to deciphering code. Fuyutsuki watched the situation from above and tapped Yui on the shoulder, who was busy looking over the day's schedule. "Its nice to have you back Yui. After the way Gendo drove us to defeat the angels I suppose you might say were "Prepped" for these new challenges." Yui looked over at Helen and then back at her schedule. "Helen is a remarkable one. I heard her mother and father were designers for the unit 6 model, the one from Russia?"  
  
"Yes. Her mother died in an accident, a tragedy that is looking all too apparent these years. With so many mother dieing the child rate is going down. Before second impact there were 7 billion people on the planet. Now there is only five. At this rate it will take over 20 years to regain our lost two billion. These pilots are truly our last hope."  
  
Yui nodded and looked back down at Helen. "She pilots the unit 4. Why is it she and Damien have opposite Evangelions? Damien's family built Eva 4 in China, while Helen pilots the one built by them, the new unit 4 model. Very odd."  
  
"It would seem they are related. Apparently the Kazak family and the Raven are related by blood."  
  
"Really? The files Dr. Aki gave me didn't say anything about that!" Fuytsuki lowered his head to Yui's ear and whispered.  
  
"There is a lot Dr.Aki doesn't ell you. Today she ran a sync test with Asuka in a prototype evangelion, the 08. Apparently it arrived in today and could replace her 02 model"  
  
"Would Asuka let Aki do that? Take away 02?!"  
  
Yui focused her stare on Helen and pondered the new developments.  
  
Rei sat alone at her table in the NERV cafeteria; eating the no-quite-so- tasty soup they served every few hour for the rotating staves. As she sat she looked into the red tomato soup. Red, like her eyes. Rei continued looking onto the soup until a Russian voice from behind her returned her to reality. "If you keep looking into the sup you may just fall in. You are Mrs. Aiyamani? The pilot of unit 00?"  
  
"Yes I am. Are you Helen Raven, the pilot of."  
  
" Evangelion unit 4, The Angraboda. May I sit here?" she asked politely. Rei nodded. The girl named Helen was strikingly beautiful with long flowing blonde hair and dazzling green eyes.  
  
"I noticed your eyes. Very rare and exotic color if I may say so."  
  
"Thank you. I am not used to company tough."  
  
"Really? It would seem that one who is alone, becomes something else, something very dangerous. She will become a lone soul who would torment those around her with her won loneliness, thus, becoming the carrier of a disease, one only friendship would be able to cure." Helen then looked up and saw Aiyanami's face.  
  
"Oh I am sorry. It is an old tale my mother told me once before I went to school. It was to get me to be social and not drift off into the void of life. I had to study and make friends. Those were y two objectives. What are yours? Why are you here at NERV?"  
  
"I.don't know yet. It would seem my reasons are becoming clearer as my life goes on. Now with Mrs. Yui here and Gendo gone.I suppose its Shinji."  
  
"The pilot of unit 1? Are you and he."  
  
"No, its not like that. I suppose you could say he's my.family."  
  
"Ah yes, family. My brother also pilots an Evangelion, The Garm"  
  
"I noticed all your codenames are.Norse."  
  
"Indeed. You are very astute Madam Aiyanami. Indeed, The Fenrir, The Garm, and The Angraboa are all related. The frost giant, Angraboda, had three children: Fenrir, the wolfhound, Jhormugand the Midgard Serpent, and Hel, the underworld's queen. Tyr and I carry these names with us as reminder that we ate the giants who will change the world. The time for my brother to assume the codename of Jhormugander has not yet come. He must wait until the Garm is fully operational"  
  
"06 is not yet ready?"  
  
"No. It would seem he is having incompatibility with it, thus, a new pilots data is being entered into it for reference. The pilot of 02 signed on and if she syncs with it she may be able to pilot the newest EVA, the 08. With her high sync ratio compared to Damien's, we may be able to uncover any flaws in 06's coding, thus, I will fix it. Asuka is to be rewarded with the 08.if she wants it that is. I hear she has a fondness or the 02."  
  
"Yes. She is very linked with the 02. She is more fond of it than most people are to their own children"  
  
  
  
Asuka sat in the dark chamber of the new EVA launch gate, looking up at the Evangelion 06. Build around the same baseline as 03, the giant black humanoid was designed to use fire as its base weapon since it was armed with a dual set if liquid napalm throwers, a variety of impact grenades, and it had a frame that could become superheated in under five minutes, creating a living inferno. Asuka looked at her hand and clenched it tightly. "Do you like the 06?" a voice said suddenly. Asuka spun around and saw Damien, his eyes almost illuminating his very face amid the shadows. "I don't think so. I ran the tests just because you needed the highest sync holder on record."  
  
"Really? Are you sure it wasn't to obtain the new 08, the way to out beat Shinji in this little..game you play with yourself?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? Game?"  
  
Damien smiled coldly. "Yes. To hide your emotions for Ikari, you try to surpass him, make him seem inadequate, unworthy of your time. But still he rushed to be beside you in every area. 08 is just another method of running away!" he finished. Asuka swung back and reared up her fist, letting it fly to hit the little snot fight between his radiant eyes. But Damien caught the fist and twisted it back in his iron grip.  
  
"Now it would seem you are trying to silence me for speaking the truth. Next time I will take your punch and give you one in return. Oh, thank you for syncing up with the GARM. I couldn't have don't it without you. I am now well on my way to assuming my rightful place with my sister."  
  
Damien let loose Asuka's fist and walked back into the shadows. Asuka gritted her teeth and sneered. No, he couldn't be right! How could she possibly have feelings for such a spineless little wimp! But then again.was he really spineless anymore? Asuka looked up at 02 and sighed.  
  
"What should I do? I can't lose you mother.not again."  
  
  
  
Aki looked over the sync data readouts and compared then to that of the others. Truly, Asuka was the highest sync holder at the moment, even tough it seemed the levels of Shinji and Helen were quickly catching up with her. They would all be equal in a week tough. The strongest would push onward very soon. As Aki pointed out weaknesses in 06's codeing, Helen walked in and startled her.  
  
"Oh, Helen. Good news. I have isolated the areas you will need to fix in the 06's system. Can you do it?" Helen looked over the readouts.  
  
"Yes but not tonight.I was invited to go to a social gathering at the Katsuragi house. Aiyanami invited me." She mumbled, as if not wanting to have Aki hear Rei's name. Aki raised her head and looked over to Helen, blushing with embarrassment.  
  
"Good. Its nice to see you are still making friends even amid these troubling times. I see the story I told you so long ago is still holding?"  
  
Helen frowned.  
  
"You never told me those stories. My mother did. You simply knew about them." She snapped  
  
"It dose you no good to dwell on the memories of that.emotionally unstable woman. You might as well replace all her memories with my image because I am the one who cares for you, you brother, for this whole unit! You, Damien, Tyr! We all have a job to do and we must all be straight about the fact that our unit is indeed a family!" Helen threw her paperwork down and went to the exit.  
  
"I will begin the operation tomorrow morning.Dr." Helen walked out and went off. Dr. Aki smiled to herself and went back to work.reconfiguring 08 for the second child.  
  
Misato busied herself with trying to actually cook while Toji and Shinji laughed over stories of odd situations at school. Asuka entered the house and sat down next to Toji. "Hey Suzuhara! What kind of EVA are you piloting?"  
  
"A new model of the 03. It has some sort of new combat system to allow for more motion er, something. Why?  
  
"Just wondering that all. It would seem all these new pilots have EVAs superior to our own."  
  
Asuka trailed off but her eyes lit up when she saw Hokaru. "HIKARI! She yelled as her friend replied with an equally shrill "ASUKA!" They ran up and embraced then sat down to talk about all the doings at school since Asuka had been in the hospital and the sync tests ate up the rest of her days. Toji and Shinji happily looked at the steaming plate of food Misato was bringing out.until they noticed it was on fire. Misato struggled to keep the flaming squid off the floor while Asuka went and got the fore extinguisher from a cabinet, nicknamed, The Misato Space, due mainly to the fact that her recent hobby in the art of burning food resulted in the need for more bandages and even an extinguisher. Suddenly the doorbell rang. As it opened Rei and Helen entered, both carrying an assortment of gifts.  
  
"I hope I am not crashing."  
  
Helen said shyly. Asuka looked over the new pilot and motioned for her to sit next to her. Anything to get her mind off Damien's words. Rei and Helen wound up ordering various pizzas after the burning squid caught fire to the kitchen oven mitts. As the doorbell rang yet again Rei went to and open it. Their before her was the pilot of 06.Damien Kazak. The boys blue eyes burned an image of coldness into the soul of Aiyanamai. It was as if a shadow had overtaken Rei and left her as helpless as a deer in headlights. "You must be Rei," he said. Rei managed to nod as the figure placed out his hand.  
  
"I am Damien. Nice to meet you."  
  
As the words rolled off His tongue, Rei felt the air begin to freeze around her and as she embraced his hand, she felt as tough she was embracing death itself.  
  
"Nice to meet you."'  
  
Rei uttered slowly. As Damien walked past she thought o herself, "My one new friend, sister to my one.enemy."  
  
The word enemy seemed to come out naturally, without any pre-thought. Rei wondered in disbelief as she closed the door behind her.  
  
As the party went on, people began to leave until it was just Asuka, Shinji and Rei. As Rei went to go sober up Misato, Asuka looked up at Shinji from the mass of floor pillows where she lay.  
  
"Hey Shinji. This new EVA. Should I take it?" Shinji smiled slightly.  
  
"Although I suppose its up to you I guess my opinion would be no. You should use what you feel comfortable with and frankly you seem happier in 02 than, well, anywhere else."  
  
  
  
"Even here, with you?" Asuka's quizzed.  
  
"If your happy here just being with me them maybe not."  
  
Asuka couldn't catch her breath in time to muster up a single bitchy comment as Shinji got up and walked off and out of her room.  
  
"Is my one enemy my one.love?" Asuka thought for a second and smiled. "Maybe. But I suppose theirs only one way to find out."  
  
  
  
It was as Yui's plane, bound for Rome left the NERV launch pad, the Gendo's eyes opened wide and his monitors sprung to life., his mouth shouting the words, "SHINJI!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
1 


	6. Paladins of the Cross, Demon of the Wolf

CHAPTER 6: Paladins of the Cross, Demon of the Wolf  
  
Tyr hated it. He hated being alone in the void of his own thoughts, with nothing to catch him as he spiraled into the state of being neither awake nor asleep. How he hated it their. But as the clouds of murky memories swirled around him, three shadows formed over him, staring with reflective eyes that glowed with the colors of blue and green. "OBEDIENCE!" a voice shouted, as if many voices had merged into one horrifying scream, a scream that rocked Tyr's very soul to which he cried out, "NEVER!" Tyr straightened himself upright in the mass of shadows and looked into the looming eyes of his would-be enemies. "My will is my own! My soul is my own! BEGONE DEMONS!" he shouted as he used his hand to wipe away the faint yet ever present fog of illusion, which then shifted to form the one image Tyr held in the worst regards. The image of the old man, his face covered by a long orange visor that reflected the horrors Tyr would face as pilot of 05. "You.How I do despise you." Tyr muttered as he awoke from his nightmare. The room was dark and empty, the window allowing cold air from the conditioner. It soothed him for a moment but he knew the images would return again soon. They always did. The only place he cold run to in fear of the images was the Fenrir, his one true companion. But Tyr than looked at his hand, misshapen and scarred by an experimental new type of Sync test. It had been at the Chinese NERV branch. Dr. Aki implemented new sensors onto Tyr's hand in the hopes on a maintainable 400% sync ratio. All she got was a small 102% spike for six seconds while Tyr received a new mangled hand. "How could one tame such a demon?" Tyr thought. The sweating young man ran his hands through his short red air and put on some decent clothes. The time was nigh and he would want to keep Aki waiting for as long as possible.  
  
Yui and Fuyutsuki looked over the newest demonstration of the 08's abilities on a huge projection monitor. The 08 was new model developed by a joint venture with America and Germany, a way to see if two countries were better than one in a sense. The Evangelion was a beep gray color with patches of orange body armor along its key muscle groups. The head was a new style. A long optical track with a single 180 lens, hopefully allowing the pilot a larger range of view than any other evangelion to date. Dr. Aki paused the demo of the 08's impressive combat abilities long enough to show Asuka's had the strongest sync ratio with it as compared to any of the other pilots, and the most logical option for NERV to take was to switch her Eva from 02 to 08.  
  
"Tell me Dr. Where is the 07 seven model. The numbers seem to have skipped it."  
  
Yui said inquisitively. Dr Aki smiled a snide smile.  
  
"Well the 07 model is undergoing some.special.modifications to its body at this moment of Italy's new NERV Branch. Yui's eyes lit up.  
  
"Italy is to have a NERV branch? Why wasn't I authorized about this?" She stated. Dr Aki smiled and pointed to the 08 screens being displayed.  
  
"Now now Mrs. Ikari no needs to get worried. I authorized the 04th branches creation because the German one was busy building the 08 at the time" Yui leapt up is a way so shocking it nearly knocked Aki off her feet in amazement.  
  
"YOU WHAT! There is a very radical faction operating out of Rome dr. Aki. They are called LEGION and all they need is to obtain an evangelion and it could be the end of our plans!"  
  
Aki adjusted her hair and looked at Yui, allowing a very special smile to grace her lips.  
  
"I am well aware of the existence of LEGION. But as for their little mission to obtain an EVA I don't think a 40% completed one will do the job. We hold all the operational Evnagelion s here in the GeoFront and besides: Even if Legion did get one, I would assume the combine force of 7 Eva's could easily take it down don't you?"  
  
Yui nodded and tried to look past Aki's manipulative exterior, to see her scheme was boiling under in her very dark soul. "Fine then. As for the 08, freeze it. Asuka's choice to switch the 02 to the 08 has to be made by her, not me." Aki nodded in agreement and went outside to use the women's facilities. As she walked out the door she nearly plowed into Misato. "Oh I am sorry Dr." Misato said.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Say, I have been meaning to ask you something."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Would it bother you if you participated in a little experiment this afternoon?" Misato thought for a second and then looked into the Dr's brilliantly colored retinas.  
  
"Sure. What kind of experiment is it?"  
  
"One involving a new type of synchronization." Misato reluctantly smiled and went into Yu's office, the door closing after her. Yui looked over to Misato who them locked the door behind her and then sat down. "Would you like anything to drink?" Yui said.  
  
"No Madam I wouldn't. Why am I here? Is it something about Shinji?"  
  
"Yes and no. As you are well aware, LEGION has infiltrated this facility with an agent, maybe more than one. We are assuming it is Dr. Aki for various reasons and would like you to do us a great favor. Misato looked at the file Fuyutsuki handed her and chuckled. "I am flattered you think I could pull off something like this but I."  
  
".you are more than capable. I have monitored your abilities in the field of hacking and espionage. You are the only one who can root out this spy. I trust the terms of the operation are acceptable."  
  
"Yes ma'am. You don't know how good it is to be appreciated for all your skills."  
  
"Yes well we girls have to stick together. Right Fuyutsuki?" Yui elbowed the tall man in the ribs and got a light sigh of amusement from him.  
  
" There is another reason I wanted to see you Misato. Do you know this man?"  
  
Yui handed her a picture of a tall man in his 30's with long blonde hair and a very pale complexion. The picture was from a prison record.  
  
"Yes. Ivan Gissaki He's the leader of that weird religious group, The PALADINS isn't it?" Yui nodded. "Indeed. He escaped from a maxi um security prison a week ago and one by one his followers are disappearing.along with JSDF equipment. It would seem they're stockpiling for something big."  
  
  
  
"You think they would want to attack NERV? With stolen armaments? They'd have to be insane!"  
  
Misato laughed.  
  
"They already are. Due to Gendo's overzealous little speech at the UN Dinner it would seem we might have become the prime target for these radicals. Simply inform the other pilots under your care that they should be ready for anything."  
  
Misato nodded and as she got up to leave she turned to Yui. "What about the next beast. When do you think it will arrive?" Yui frowned.  
  
"Very soon. There are reports from the Chinese of something in the mountains that wasn't there before, something that is killing all their wildlife. Its also gong in a straight line.towards us. We could have anywhere from a week to an hour before it shows up here. That's why the doings of Aki and Ivan worry me. The last thing anybody here needs is the treason of man towards man when a demon is looming overhead,"  
  
Misato left the room and took the picture with her.  
  
  
  
The 02 was very strange to her now as Asuka sat in its entry plug, part of her weekly sync data tests. The LCL seemed to be different, along with her normal Shinji-hateing thoughts. As much as she tried she couldn't seem to overshadow her feeling of joy at his company with those of jealousy and hate.not anymore. Could Damien have been right? As the test ended all the pilots were summoned into the briefing room. Apparently Dr. Aki had an announcement to make. The Eva pilots were actually all in one place, unlike how things had been recently with both teams doing separate tests. But Aki seemed to hold a glow about her, as if this announcement would change the world. Shinji sat down next to Rei and missed Asuka's motion to have him sit by her.but then again why would Shinji think such a thing from suka in the first place unless it came with a big neon sign attached to it. Rei sat on the farthest chair from Damien, all the while eyeing him occasionally. Shinji noticed this and d leaned over to Rei's ear.  
  
"Why don't you go sit by him ehh Rei?"  
  
Shinji said playfully. Rei's eyes grew wide with shock.and fear. "No. I do not wish to sit by the pilot of unit 6. I don't think I ever will."  
  
Shinji looked puzzled by Rei's statement as Dr. Aki approached the rooms speaking stand.  
  
"Hello everyone. As you may have all guessed we have some new faces around her as of late. The three new pilots of the German NERV ranch and the reunited pilot of 03. But the Evangelion are going to need some serious upgrades to combat the new threats from the underworld. That is why you are here. I have received a large variety of funds and it is enough o allow the lot of you to choose one single upgrade to your existing evangelion unit."  
  
Dr Aki passed around a series of packets outlining the various new systems and armaments the Evas were now capable of undergoing. Asuka's eyes lit up when she looked over the armament section while Rei seemed more interested in the "Advance flight" capacities.  
  
"The reason I have given you all packets is because I would like you too all consult one another on their upgrades. You are all a team unit, and thus, you would do well to upgrade your EVAS according to the upgrades of the others. What good is it if you all have advanced firearms but no defensive units? Talk amongst yourselves on this matter. I am sure you will come up with some intriguing combinations. "  
  
As she finished the emergency lights burst on, bathing the room in red light. Suddenly Mayas voice came on over the comm. system.  
  
"EMERGENCY! The Kassaki defense line ha been shattered by JSDF aircraft! They've taken control of lines 3 through eight and are advancing at a staggering rate! All NERV personnel report to Terminal Dogma. ALL pilots get too your Eva's!"  
  
Aki pointed to the door as the pilots did as they were told. With the NERV personnel so bust running it was going to be hard for the pilots to get to their EVAs in time to do anything quickly. Shinji and the other pushed pat workers as the elevators became cramped and crowded, the emergency lights till buzzing and whirling.  
  
The monitors showed what Yui had been concerned about. They showed masses of rouge aircrafts shooting down what little of NERV base defenses were left, all the while a row of maximum heavy artillery cannons bombarded the main hangers. It was as if they knew where the EVA gates were located. Suddenly, all the gates blinked out. They were now unable to launch an EVA to the surface and all the while, men in black uniforms pored in through the open entrances and blown open gate systems. Suddenly the power went dead, covering the entire complex in an eerie blackness.  
  
"Not again!" Fuyutsuki shouted as the NERV computer personnel struggled to keep the MAGI operational through reserve batteries.  
  
"What will happen now." Said Yui. The click of a gun barrel told her all she needed to know. "Now, Mrs. Ikari, you will turn around and face thy judge."  
  
A voice said. Yu turned and saw the face of a tall figure, hid body wrapped in a long cape-like robe and beneath it, a suite of body armor similar in design to the EVA flight suite. His face was well formed, like it was chiseled from stone, and his ling white hair was tied into a topknot.  
  
"Mr. Ivan I presume." Said Yui defiantly. The man holding the gun, the world famous terrorist, motioned for his men, all armed with AK47's, to enter the facility. There were twelve of then by Yui's count, each one in garb similar to their leaders.  
  
" What do you want with this facility?" Shouted Maya. A quick point of Ivan's gun tough silence her rage.  
  
"We are here to shut this archaic institution down for good. We have heard your blasphemous message and will no longer allow you, or your idols, to wage war on gods people."  
  
Ivan said slowly, as if the words were filling him with a divine power. "We know how you have even gone so far into the blasphemous void that you ally yourself with LEGION, the very spawn of the fallen one himself! Do you deny it?"  
  
A smaller man said, his face covered by scars and not-healed facial crevices, possibly the result of torture.  
  
"Patience now Josiah, patience. Let the infidel heathens speak their own brand of lies in an effort to save themselves. It will only make our resolve to destroy them all the greater, GODS WILL BE DONE!" he shouted.  
  
The others all responded with a mutual chorus. "GOD WILL BE DONE"! They all aid.  
  
"This is madness. Why would I ally myself with LEGION! I defied them for crying out loud!"  
  
"Soon that is what you will do. Even now our men are working through he power systems. The Evangelion pilots, all of them, are in an essence, locked within their EVA's. In a hour, all the electricity in this base will be sent though all of them, cleansing their bodies and destroying these false gods!"  
  
Yui stepped foreword. "What do you want us to do eh? Shut down? Let the demons destroy mankind after all we went trough with the angels test! Why would you want the world end?" Ivan smiled.  
  
"You are incorrect. It is not the end I want bur rather, the dawn of a new genesis. Once the demons return to their masters they will destroy this place and with is, the sin of this "second generation man: then a new world will emerge.one devoid of your mechanistic kin. I am just doing the lords will."  
  
"MURDER? Killing seven innocent children is not Gods will, it is she-" The gun butt of Josiah's AK$7 sent Yui flying onto the ground and hitting it hard.  
  
"Do not try and understand the lords will, foolish woman. You are but the devils tool so I will net listen to your poisonous lies.no matter now intoxicating."  
  
Yui staggered up and looked the scarred face man the eyes.  
  
"Where is my husband?" She muttered lowly, as is stifling the urge to rip the man apart.because she was. Ivan stepped foreword and gripped Yui's jaw in his gauntleted hand.  
  
"The original sinner is in our hands now." He said in a menacing tone as he shoved Yui away. Fuyutsuki quietly began to draw is gun and as he did shot the man named Josiah right in the shoulder. Yui took advantage of the opportunity and slugged the non-charismatic Ivan in the face, giving her time to run out of the control room via an unguarded exit.  
  
"HEY!" one-man shouted, but Ivan motioned for him to stop.  
  
"Let the heathen be. The lord works in mysterious ways and we do have her son, the false messiah himself. She can do us no harm for now."  
  
But what of the base. If she calls in a reinforcement wave we would have no way to stop the soldiers. It took most of out ammo and fuel to get this far." Ivan smiled.  
  
"We would have access to another weapon." He grinned.  
  
Shinji sat in the un-powered 01, wondering what was to happen next while Asuka was busy trying to force open her hatch. She must have really wanted out because he could hear it and she was a few feet away in her EVA, unlinked by sound.  
  
Gendo hated being held at gunpoint. This large man, dressed in black, had stormed his room and was now holding him hostage, as he was getting ready to go see Yui. "Hopefully you killed her already." Gendo said calmly. The big man's face became puzzled.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Because if she is alive, I pity what she'll do when she gets a hold of you."  
  
The big thug sneered and threw Gendo o the floor. Suddenly, out of the corner of his stucco-grounded yes, he saw a long white lab coat and a pink purse.  
  
" I really pity you" Gendo repeated, as a heavy gun butt against the criminals head knocked him out. Yui untied Genod and helped him up.  
  
  
  
Tyr hated it. The darkness of the entry plug, the fact that the one place where he felt happy was as cold and lifeless as in Aki's lab. The thoughts of the smiling doctor surrounded him, his mind going to become unfretted at any minute. It was then the Fenrir sprung to life, its two eyes a blaze of yellow light and its intentions set on destruction. 


	7. Adams Crest Realized

CHAPTER 7: Adams Crest Realized  
  
1 The Shades of Black swirled over this dark form,  
  
1.1 A deep nothingness, a still quiet, was there: The Entry Plug  
  
1.2 This thing, a vessel for his own heart and mind  
  
1.3 This thing, a pool of memories He had tried to leave behind.LCL  
  
2 Still mirror water, a ripple: Shinji  
  
3 Still mirror water, a wave: Aki  
  
4 This deep hate, this one loathing, and his one enemy: "FATHER!"  
  
Fenrir leapt to blazing life, its eyes aglow with malevolent power as it stepped off the launch platform looking over the surroundings with its two prey bound eyes, eyes with the hope of finding a worthy enemy: The Wolf was unchained at long last. The PALADIN rushed to try and subdue the massive beast with gunfire and grenades but the explosion whistled of the Eva's armor like rubber against a wall. The Fenrir narrowed its field of view and looked upon the weak little insects challenging its superiority. With one stomp of his foot, Fenrir silenced them. As the ever-growing rage built up inside the EVA Tyr had slipped into a primal state of reason: Kill or be killed. As the Fenrir sense where it was it heard explosion from the surface, even when below NERV. A deep throated roar erupted from its mouth s it began to climb up the main chute with animalistic speed, speed that would carry Tyr to his enemy.his challenge.  
  
Ivan looked at the raging beats and shook his head. "My God. What kind of demon hath ye wrought upon this world!" Maya snapped with uncontained anger,  
  
"US? Tyr is a claustrophobic and you locked him in the EVA! He's going to destroy us all now, you included. Once an Eva sets its eyes on an enemy it will not respond to emotions like mercy, justice or even love. You should be familiar with that!"  
  
Ivan sneered a look at Maya and then pointed to three of his followers. "Go and find Yui. We may need her after all. But first go and turn the power to the Evangelions. If we do this right, the lord may have just given us the tools of Nerve's downfall: The Evangelions! As the pilots try and stop their ally in combat, the damage may be enough that we could find a key moment ad strike them down!" Maya gasped as Ivan untied her.  
  
"Go now. Let the EVA's loose upon your precious Babylon. If you do not, this.Tyr, will wipe all of you out on his own." The other were soon released and put at gunpoint, free to use the EVA's as their only possible means of defense.and possibly their damnation.  
  
The bowls of Central Dogma were a labyrinth of walkways and secret passages. Yu and Gendo wormed their way through dozens of rusted out and ancient pipe ways, the veins of NERV itself. Soon they found the main storage facility of generator room 6, the one right below the EVA launch gates themselves. Yui aimed her gun along the narrow crawlspaces while Gendo went in to inspect the damage. What he found were dead bodies and bullet shells. "Gendo, what is it?" asked Yui  
  
"Nothing you should see. Lets keep moving. If we want to get the power back on we need to find the main circuit system."  
  
"Which is where exactly?"  
  
"The center of Terminal Dogma itself." Yui Put her gun to her side and put her hands on Gendo's shoulders. "Don't worry. These fools have no idea what was in store for them"  
  
Gendo got a puzzled look as Yui took the lead in their little journey. Meanwhile, Fenrir has just ripped itself out of the ravaged launch gates, with a small militia of enemy tanks and planes to test its abilities  
  
5 Power. What is power but the ability to prove ones worth by exploiting others  
  
Power was not to be wasted on the weak: That was the reason men became weak. Charity of power.compassion  
  
6 THE POWER WAS TO BE GIVEN, BUT ONLY BY FORCE  
  
The first to try and experience the power of the Fenrir was a team of fighter jets armed with the new JSDF smart missiles. As the crafts loosed their volley of "DNAcomputor" enhanced missiles Fenrir easily took one in its massive hand and crushed it in two. The missiles weaved around the terrain and up along the length of Fenrirs legs, exploding along its joints, a crippling move to the inexperienced pilot.which Tyr was not. The explosions did nothing and the out-of-control bio-humanoid marched on to the front lines where the tank division waited.as well as an entire city full of people.  
  
"WHAT!" Asuka cried as the now functional Evas were informed of the situation. PALADIN was in charge for the moment, Yui and Gendo were gone as well as Misato, Aki, and Fuyutsuki. The leaders were gone, leavening their students alone to face the horde of the enemy. "Hear me EVA pilots. I am the leader of this operation" Ivan began. "You have an out of control comrade up there and the whole city in his way. You are to stop him by any means."  
  
"Who the hell are you and why should we try to stop yr. If you stupid freaks were god enough to get into NERV surely you were counting on handling an EVA? Weren't you?" said Asuka. Silence. "Oh. I see." She finished. Maya and the team fired up the Eva launch platforms and sent all 5 evangelion up into the battlefield, alight with the carnage of burning buildings, broken tanks, crashed planes and torn bodies. There, at the infernos heart, stood the Fenrir, his claws clenching the mangled JSDF light tank. Shinji moved in with his assault riffle and opened a volley of gunfire onto the Fenrir, knocking it down and distracting it from unit zero who was lining up her positron sniper cannon for the Fenrirs power cable, which after a pull of the trigger, was severed. Roaring with rage, Fenrir leapt up and un-sheathed its long arm blades plus several ones on its back, shoulders and legs. The wolf was now cornered, and ready to strike any who would step foreword. 01 raced headfirst towards Fenrir and gripped it by its blade arm and pulled it too, then, in Fenrirs recoil, punched the insane Eva in the jaw, a fountain of purple blood as the result. Then the Angraboa swept in on its anti-gravity engines and shot two wrist cables onto Fenrirs back, witch as blinding surge of electricity as the end result. But Fenrir sneered and took hold of the cables and with one swift pull, threw 04 into 01, having stopped 2 enemies for the time being. Toji was next up as he activated the 03's advanced mobility system. The joints of the black EVA suddenly shot of a jet of steam and LCL as it leapt into the air and landed a drop kick onto Fenrir's chest, pinning him under 03's metal foot.  
  
"HAHA! Escape this!" Toji said as he applied pressure, hoping one of the other would come in to support him. Rei raced up and held down Fenrirs legs. That was when Fenrir used the AT Field in a new and lethal way. With a powerful surge of anger, the AT Field pushed 03 and 00 way as if they were rag dolls, with visible phase changes in the field being shown, die it the pilots extreme measures. Fenrir was once more up and stalking. By now 01 was back up.  
  
"Tyr, how do I stop you?" thought Shinji.  
  
Fenrir looked up as 02 came in swinging a long metal javelin, striking him on the shoulder blade, and carving a lengthy wound in the Eva's side, with more green blood, which only seemed to fuel the power of Fenrir. It was then that Shinji grappled 05 by the wounded shoulder and tore off the entire limb down from breast and to the stern. Tyr screamed with both joy and pin as the EVA switched off, leaving the 01 showered in blood and a new victory under its belt.an evangelion. Suddenly the second half of 05 sprung to life and reached out to the 06, Damien, its bloodied hand writhing in a type of silent rage as it desperately tried to kill its.enemy. What was left of PALADIN had gathered in Headquarters while Tyr was pulled from the entry pug by the few personnel not held at gunpoint. With so many for the Eva's damaged, the reality of their destructive potential seemed astounding. But what of the 05, Fenrirs, outburst of power even when cleaved in two. Tyr was placed in a guarded infirmary ward while the Evangelion were left to the surface where they stood. Nobody was able to retrieve them as they were under the swift rule of PALADIN who new seemed to have immobilized the Eva's above the Geofront and now held the pilots in armed custody.at the cost of one third his followers and nearly a dozen armored vehicles. Josiah, Ivan's loyal assistant, leaned on his crotch as he looked over the EVA pilots, now being lead from the surface to a confinement area.  
  
"Our false messiahs wont succeed with your mission. We will see to that." Josiah smirked.  
  
"Hey, you, crip!" Asuka shouted. "For some "almighty" group it seems you've been whipped by a woman with a machine gun, a claustrophobic teenager, and a Boy Scout troupe! Who do you think you are?" Josiah's eyes widen in rage as he halted the group and walked in front of Asuka, a gun now in her face  
  
"Listen her little girl..." It was at the mention of the words little girl that Asuka landed a square kick on the man groin with her knee. Writhing in anger Josiah motioned for the remaining members to lead them into the holding facilities while e went and talked to Ivan.  
  
Yui and Gendo had finally reached NERV's heart, a gigantic collection of power generators and circuitry, all of which were run by the now underpowered MAGI computer. Yui looked around the dark site until Gendo saw their target: severed power lines. "There seem to be many lines that were cut Yui. We cant possible reconnect them all.  
  
"No. But we only need to get one on line."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean once the second level of the Launch bay is on line Ritsuko an regain power from her terminal and thus get the beacons to the JSDF online, sending off an alarm and thus, bringing a security squad in to investigate. The section she is in is unguarded; once the Magi are online Misato can use the phone systems on the second leek to call in the real JSDF. Then this foolish sortie can stop and these disillusioned men can go home."  
  
Yui pulled out a small book and looked in it, then put it in her purse. "We need to find lines 44-46-TY5." If we can connect that lines generator to the working power system we can stop this." Gendo sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Yui there are thousands of connection cables and breakers here."  
  
"Then get started."  
  
Ivan looked over the now tied up evangelion pilots, except Tyr. "You children think toy truly are gods don't you. You think mankind is your personal toy, to be wielded, broken and disregarded. Well some men still have the ability to act therefore I will give you an ultimatum. Surrender the base codes of your hethan computer to us and we may let the half of live. Otherwise you will all go to hell together." Asuka was nearly on the point of maniacal laughter.  
  
"YOU WHAT!!!!! Why would we have the MAGI codes?" Asuka snickered. Ivan, now angered, looked at the strawberry blonde girl. "I thought I could take this base in a way that would prove effortless but this.Tyr.proved me wrong. I must now cripple your base beyond repair and to do so I need the MAGI codes to do it."  
  
"Who sent you?" Rei said calmly. The words caught Ivan off guard in a very big way.  
  
"The PALADIN does not need the employment of other to do Gods work!"  
  
"You are wrong. You acquired a large amount of JSDF weaponry. Too much. Somebody provided it for you. You didn't steal it as many think. You escaped from prison not long ago also. Is your employer the one who freed you Is it LEGION?"  
  
Suddenly the power sprung to life as Gendo found the miraculously large power breaker cable amid piles of back cord. Ivan was in disbelief. Suddenly the computer terminal sprang to life as the MAGI assumed full power.  
  
"WHAT IS THIS?" Josiah shouted as he ran into the main control room, limping on his crutch.  
  
"I think you would call it divine retribution,"  
  
Tyr said as he entered from the shadows behind Josiah. He then slid a ling knife into the injured mans back, dropping him like a stone.  
  
"TYR NO! How could you?" Shouted Shinji.  
  
"Silence fool. You are too weak to see I have to save us all from the results of NERVS inadaquite intelligence agency." Shinji was ablaze with anger. Ivan however pulled his gun and shot off a bullet. In a millisecond Tyr moved aside and blinked when the bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a long trail of blood.  
  
"I see you aren't the super human I believed you to be." Ivan said coldly.  
  
"I am enough." Tyr snapped back as the words reminded him of Aki. Ivan raised his gun at the dazed Tyr who seemed to be in a sate of déjà vu over his previous comment. Just then a bullet shot blew the gun out of Ivan hand and out of the blackness came Misato, her gun smoking and her eye bruised. Ivan sighed as he put up both his hands.  
  
"You know PALADIN will not stop our mission to destroy this archaic institution of sin."  
  
Misato smiled as she threw a file in front of Ivan. Out of it spilled a picture of a man in a white suite, a red triangle pin on his breast.  
  
"This is the man who hired you, a Mr. Abraham. He is the representative of LEGION itself."  
  
Ivan's eyes grew immense as he looked at the picture. Truly, it was this man who called him in prison and claimed to be a part of the radical ZIONITE movement in Prague. He said NERV was the enemy and in league with legion. He provided access codes, layouts, even an entire JSDF armament of weaponry. But it was the lapel pin that revealed the horrific irony. As Ivan looked through NERV he had searched for this infamous "Blood Pyramid", the sign of LEGION but found none.except on the clothing of his employer Ivan dropped to his knees and picked up the picture. He reached inside his robes and pulled out a white collar. He threw if before Misato's feet and began to pray for forgiveness. Tyr looked on as the blood flowed over his face and dripped from the knife I his hand.  
  
"Man truly is a despicable creature. How could a race influenced by zealousness, greed, immorality, and filth possibly be the one favored by God? This incident fully proved how utterly hideous man could be to his own men." Said Shinji  
  
The Sky was dark as the massive creature swept over the Pacific Ocean, its wings the color of sackcloth and its eyes an ebony red. Its long reptilian body was covered by a series of heavy armored scales and its claws were massive. Its jaws dripped for battle and it sensed it over the horizon. 


	8. The Second Destroyer Cometh

CHAPTER 7: The Second Destroyer Cometh  
  
NERV was aflame with destruction and death. Stolen JSDF equipment litter the GeoFront as bodies were pulled from the twisted carnage of Tyr's outburst of claustrophobia. But how an entire Evangelion unit, one of three newest models, could be as emotionally weak as to go berserk to a small emotional fit, as beyond reason for the amount of damage caused. Storm clouds had gathered over the remains of Tokyo 3., now an almost completely annihilated site. The Tokyo Reconstruction act was finally put into place as building crews from all over the world came to assist in the building of a new super city to house the new leaders of the world. As of the prior day, all then world's governments had united to form The World Government, a simplistically sounding name for the most drastic form of government since democracy. But no one was rejoicing at NERV, not now. PALADIN soldiers were giving themselves up after discovering they had been used like pawns in someone else's bid to shut NERV down. They hated it. Ivan was put back into custody of his own will while the search for the cunning "Mr. Abraham" went on. The growing clouds of ominous war were no longer over the horizon.they were here and pouring rain.  
  
Yui sat at a small table in the Katsuragi residence while Misato tried to scrape off the burnt skin of a piece of salmon. Yui noticed it must have been burnt badly as all that was left was a few pieces of overdone fish.the rest had been disposed of via PenPen. Misato shrugged in embarrassment while Yui motioned for her to sit. "Mrs. Katsurgai I know you have been the guardian and protector of Shinji for some time now. I also know the girl Asuka lives here as well."  
  
"Well LIVES is a big term. They seem to be at one with this little place. Everything gas a story ya know?" Yui nodded.  
  
"Indeed. But there is one thing I am wondering. Is Asuka ok, emotionally I mean... She seems to have been.distracted.since I arrived here at NERV. The stories of her seem to be either rumors of exaggeration compared to the girl I se now."  
  
"WHA?" Misato began to laugh hysterically, almost shooting beer through her nose. "ASUKA? No no, the stories are DEFINITELY true but it would seem everyone has slipped into an unhappy funk with the arrival of these new pilots and the demon an all. I suppose happiness isn't a commodity people can afford themselves,"  
  
"Than were are all surely doomed. A race of people with no happiness is one destined to crumble, like a hollow statue with nothing to fill its inner working. Look how NERV has become the center point of so much chaos."  
  
"Hey Yui. What ever happened to the Lance of Longinus? I thought we needed it in conjunction to Adam's Crest to summon the demons." Yui paused.  
  
"It would seem Dr. Aki has already implemented the Crest of Adam into somebody. The soul where that awful relic resides must be in pure agony."  
  
"TYR?" Misato gasped.  
  
"Yes, Tyr. It world seem Tyrs father gave him to dr. Aki as a child and then let her experiment on him, twist his genes until he became the ultimate definition of man: power incapable of restraint. But Aki didn't feel erasing his pat and cursing his Future was enough. She stole Adams crest and used horrific surgery to put it inside Tyr, linking his soul with the forces of heaven and hell. Tyr is now neither man, no demon, nor angel. He is himself, the perfect weapon for EVA."  
  
"But that's a type of double bladed sword isn't it? Eva isn't meant to be used as a killing machine; it's meant to be piloted by a single willed child. Putting Tyr in an entry plug would be like a serious breed of overkill, to the point of." Misato's own thoughts hit her.".insane. The Fenrir cant stand Tyr can it."  
  
"No. The Evangelion 05 model, along with the 04 and 06, were all given memories of combat battles, to "enhance" them beyond the limits of the normal Eva, like the 02. But what Aki did was produce a Frankenstein of hate, rage, and bitterness and now, sorrow. I pity the children who must sit in those tortured creatures."  
  
"But what of Aki. Why IS she doing all this?"  
  
"Who really knows but Aki herself? It would seem SEELE sent her to work on the creation of a superior pilot but instead she focused more of producing these new EVAs. While it could we money or influence from LEGION, I have yet to discover." Misato sighed as if she could sense the gloom above in her heart,  
  
"What of Shinji. How is he doing today?" asked Misato slowly.  
  
"It would seem he and Toji went to go visit Ida. He returned from his trip yesterday.right as Fenrir was up on the surface. He is fine but his family is shaken up.  
  
  
  
  
  
Aki looked across the blue screen of information as she took notes on the "success" rate of the PALADINS mission. Everything seemed acceptable at the moment but her employers would want more.much more. With the second on its way and the possibility of the 3rds immediate strike, nothing could be left to change. It was then that Ritsuko approached her from behind and quite violently spun her around in her chair, stopping to look straight at the "mad doctor". "I don't know who you are working for, or why you're doing it but I do know this. The pilots of your "new model" Eva's are seriously disturbed. It would seem Tyr is violent killer when pushed into claustrophobia. Helen is a type of living computer, yes I've seen her absorb all that data at an alarming rate, and this Damien is a shadowy manipulator of everyone else. WHY DID YOU BRING THEM HERE!" Ritsuko pushed hard in the Dr's revolving chair and tossed her out of her seat and onto the cold floor. Aki coughed in amazement as Ritsuko drew a gun from her coat and aimed it squarely at Aki's skull. "Tell me." She echoed. Aki smiled ad got up. "You really don't need to know since it doesn't concern you. My pilots are fine compared to the emotional train wreck YOUR Eva's have to use. SEELE knows all about my plans. Go peak with them.the loved it when you were their last" Ritsuko, in a state of angry shock, put her gun in her jacket once more. "I still know your mission is with LEGION. The moment I find proof, I'll remedy your traitorous nature with my own brand of justice." Ritsuko walked out of the room, angered and now vengeful. Aki sighed as she went back to work preparing the second phase of her employers plan.  
  
  
  
Keel was sitting at his private residence in New York down when the message came for him over the phone. It was Yui. "Hello Yui" Keel said.  
  
"Hello chairman. I have some news for you."  
  
"If it's about PALADIN I know everything. You did very well against them Yui. However there is still the mater of this berserker 05."  
  
"Yes. It would seem the Eva's produced by Aki in Germany, China, and Russia. Seem to be emotionally unstable."  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
"The Eva's were given memories of the pilots in an effort to obtain a possible 400% sync ratio without undergoing BioFussion. However this crates instability in the pilots. The pilots Damien and Helen seem to be in the marginal area of their sync rates while Tyr has had over 10 berserker accidents in the past year. "  
  
"I know how Tyr is Yui and I do understand. Aki is a burrowing nuisance but also a necessary evil. Without her we loose our link to LEGION" on the other line Yui's eyes grew huge in shock and disbelief.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean we know she is being employed by LEGION to do some sort of project using the evangelions themselves. We have been monitoring her actions and found she was the one who supplied LEGION with NERV codes and layouts."  
  
"What do we do with such a dangerous person in NERV?"  
  
"Not to worry Yui, She can't do much damage as long as her identity with LEGION remains secret although I predict she is being more and more lax with the information on her benefactors. We have know of LEGION and their goals for years Yui but never have we actually found one of their agents who so beloved themselves invincible. The time will come when we may be able to destroy LEGION, an Aki with it. How goes the operations over there."  
  
"The second is almost here. It just entered Japanese airspace and will be here in two days time. I ordered no one to go and stop it since it would be suicide to fight it alone. We need it at NERV where all the Eva's could group up and fight as a team."  
  
"Very wise. I now have a reconfirmed faith in NERV Yui, unlike when Gendo was there. He seemed to be running a different show than you."  
  
"The demons are our mutual enemy sir. It wouldn't be wise underestimate then while trying to pull off my own plan."  
  
"Very well. I leave the clean up operation to you,Yui. Give my regards to Gendo." Keel hung the phone up.  
  
The alarms blared like explosions in everyone's ears as the shaken voice of Maya came up over the intercom once again. "All NERV personnel report to your station. The second demon has flown over NERV and is sweeping in for a landing!" Yui was caught totally by surprise! Apparently "two days" meant "two minutes!"  
  
Outside, amid the burning wreckage, the demon waited, it wings outstretched, its eyes aglow. It wanted its enemy.NOW. 


	9. Battle of Wounded Souls

CHAPTER 8: Battle of Wounded Souls  
  
The creature was at least the size of an EVA, with its large wings that were as black as night, covered by large metallic scales set upon black leather skin. The monsters body was like that of a human, bipedal, with two long stork like legs and a set of low, ground level arms, which had at their ends, huge claws. The beast's head was like that of a serpent, with a long neck and a narrow fang filed mouth upon it. The beasts red eyes opened as it loosed a huge scream of anxious rage, its wing reaching out to their zenith, arms raised to the burning sky. Luckily the evangelions had all been relocated beneath the GeoFront and were out of harms way.for the moment. Although the demon was waiting, it could easily rip through NERVS armor plaiting and wreak havoc below at its own discression. Yui looked at the beast on the NERV monitors as Ritsuko consulted the MAGI on the situation. With so much of NERV in flames up top, the Evangelions were going to be fighting in an already burning landscape. Thus, 01 and 02 were to go up as they were the only EVAs undamaged seriously by 05s assault earlier the previous morning. Shinji entered the launch pad and boarded his entry plug. "An new enemy. These things, these demons, were taking the place of the angels as NERV's target. But the angels sought to test man by seeing if they could successfully reunite with Adam. These demons were random, destructive, and seemed to only be interested in the EVAs. That was why this thing was simply waiting up there wasn't it? What do you think Asuka?" Asuka had just linked up with unit 02 and was waiting the "go" command. "I don't know Shinji. Why dose it matter. This thing is going to wait for us until we show up and I want to welcome him with my 02" My 02. The sentence wrought with it memories of their battles and how she had finally realized who it was that lurked beyond its red armor.her mother soul, her sanity, the part of her that was taken away. Her 02. "Shinji."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Never mind. Lets just do this." Asuka said quietly.  
  
"Bullshit never mind, Asuka! What is it?" Shinji snapped. The force with which Shinji spoke immediately surprised Asuka. It seemed to compel her to speak with him.  
  
"I don't want to loose 02 Shinji. I don't want to pilot the 08, I never will. I am going to stop running away from here on out!"  
  
"What were you running from?" Shinji said.  
  
"The truth." Asuka said finally her head held high with joy at having finally admitted it, her burden of her feeling having been lifted from her chest.  
  
"Asuka, what is the truth?" Shinji said curiously, his mind now intent on hearing the feelings of this emotionally damaged young girl.the girl he longed so much to know more of.  
  
"The truth Shinji.is you." She said, her eyes becoming fogged with tears of happiness.  
  
Shinji's heart skipped a beat as she spoke the words he had imagined only in his wildest dreams. It was also that time when the Evangelions were launched up to the surface, the joy of the moment clouded by the black sky and the winged form of the beast before them. Shinji looked at the beast, its eyes narrowed to slits, its wings arched, a deep animalistic sound coming out of its throat as it actually spoke! "I have waited. I will wait no more." It seemed to say in a voice like a thousand tortured souls at once.  
  
"Dear lord! It spoke! That thing talks?" said Ritsuko  
  
"As I recall, the last angel spoke fluently." Yui said as Gendo stood next to her, his arm on her shoulder.  
  
The demon leapt into the sky with its legs and outstretched its wings, using them to glide on the air as it swept at unit 01. Shinji expanded his AT Field as the demon struck him with one of its clawed hands, a red trail jutting from 01's chest where the claws had it flesh. Asuka screamed as she took her EVA-model spear and with all her might, threw it through the creature's neck, a fountain of black blood showering the landscape. The demon turned to face Asuka as its body then regenerated its torn flesh wound in its throat. But before the wound could be fully mended, Shinji charged the creature and with its hands gripped the demon by its still bleeding throat and began to clench harder and harder, praying to snap its neck. But the demon reared up its clawed ands and with one strong motion, sliced off 01's arm, its hand still attached to its throat. The creature then rose up one of its legs and kicked the evangelion away from its arm and took hold of the served limb, tossing it aside. Asuka screamed in anger as she jumped on the creatures back, with one foot against its back and her arm around the beast's head, its chest exposed and vulnerable.  
  
"SHINJI! GO!" Asuka yelled. 01 staggered back up and charged, its progressive-knife opened and in hand. As 01 ran up the demon surged forth with unparalleled strength and flipped 02 over its neck and into Shinji's knife. Writhing in horrific agony, Asuka felt the pain of a 70% sync ratio nerve connection. Shinji immediately withdrew the knife from 02s shoulder and bent down, taking advantage of the demons "surprise" to use it against him. As the demon awaited 01's pilot to be in shock, probably to do a counterattack, 01 instead ducked and sent the knife plunging into the monsters chest. The demon threw Asuka off its neck as it screamed a scream of a thousand souls, all in pain. The demon, spouting gallons of black tar- like blood, turned and shoved its clawed fingers over 01's head, and then, it tightened its grip to the point of 01's armor could be heard creaking and bending. Asuka looked on as the black demon continued to squeeze the like out of Shinji. It was then that Asuka gathered up her rage and tackled the demon on its side, breaking the death grip on 01. But as the demon was still falling from the tackle, it took to the skies, with 02 hanging on by its waist. Now high above the ruins of Tokyo 3, the demon circled in a wounded and enraged state, with 01 lying unconscious below. Asuka looked down at Shinji and at the demon. Her mind was made up. Using its own momentum, 02 pulled on the demons arm and got on its back, the creature snapping its jaws in rage. Now mounted on the demon and beginning to descend Asuka clenched both 02s hand in a fist and slammed down against the demon's backside, a spray of blood and bone erupting from the power of the assault. Now falling to the sky, Asuka put her feet against the demons back and clenched its wings. 02 then, still holding onto the wings, pushed off the falling creature with all her legs could muster. The wings snapped off in a torrent of blood as the demon hit the scorched ground with a tremendous impact. 02 hit the ground as well but wasn't nearly was wounded as the monstrous creature who was now wingless and had a shattered back. Asuka got up, her Eva's arm now broken, and walked over to the creature. Suddenly the beast's chest erupted in an explosion and sent a thick mass of red crystalline liquid all over 02. But it was this liquid that was the enemy now. Like a parasite, the red material buried itself within 02 and took control, with Asuka shouting in pain as the 02 twisted under its new master. Asuka tried to move 02 but could not. She had become the host for a demonic parasite right as 01 began to get up.  
  
"SHINJI! GET AWAY! 02 IS POSESSED!" Shinji looked over to the sound of Asuka's voice but instead saw the incoming blow of 02's knee against the ravaged head of 01. As 01 rolled along the ground, the demon began to twist and writhe in 02, its infectious form ripping armor from 02, including its mouth-guard, which now revealed a hideous jaw of teeth. 02s four red eyes now glowed brightly as it waked over to the wounded 01. Asuka screamed as she tried to get back control of her EVA. No use. 02 picked up 01 by its chest with massive strength and punched through it. Asukas mind was in raging agony as the demons hideous voice resonated through her very soul. "THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED" it seemed to be saying. "No! Never like this, never" Asuka shrieked. "YES.LIKE THIS." The voice continued. 02 took 01 in both its hands and began to pull on 01 forearm and shoulder. "EYE FOE AN EYE" The voice said as it tore off 01 other arm. Shinji screamed in agony as 01 kicked 02s legs out from under it. It was then Asuka understood Rei, her way of thinking, how it was love that kept her tattered mind alive. All the time Asuka mocked her she was killing off a part of herself until only a bitter corpse remained. The time had come to pay the price.and it was one she was ready to pay. "Shinji.forgive me." She said as she pulled 02's self- detonation device. Once more, Tokyo 3 was bathed in the light of a massive explosion.  
  
"NO!!" Shinji screamed as the wave of light smashed into 01, blinding him. As the flames parted 02 stood, an aura of the AT field around 02, the flames licking over it, trying to incinerate the demon.but could no. The tattered and walking remains of 02 were still mobile, but heavily damaged. The red poison of the demon was now visible like a bright cancer under 02s armor. Asuka, burned and injured, saw how her attempt at self -sacrifice had failed. She couldn't even go out right. She slipped into unconsciousness. "SHINJI! ASUKA IS NOLONGER CONSIOUS! DO IT NOW!" Yui shouted.  
  
"Right" Shinji said  
  
With blazing speed 01 charged 02 and with every fiber of his being Shinji did rip 02 torso off from its legs. As 02 gasped for life, the blood-like demon slowly turned into a deep black, cut off from 02's power. Shinji set the upper half of 02 on the ground and ejected his entry plug. As the eject signal was received for 02 Shinji ran across the fiery landscape to get Asuka out of the plug. Once more putting his ands on the burning hot access panel, Shinji turned with all his might. As the chamber opened he saw Asuka.  
  
"Shinji.you're here!" Asuka sighed in painful gasps.  
  
"I never want to leave you.Asuka."  
  
Yui saw Shinji over the monitors and smiled. He had finally found his reason to keep on living. Both of then had.  
  
Asuka looked around, her dreamscape a never-ending plane of grass covered fields with a blue mountain rage overhead. The sky was a beautiful blue and she was fine, not a scar on her. The dream was in a word.paradise. Suddenly the sky grew dark as the figure raised itself out of the ground next to Asuka.it was Rei, her eyes devoid of life, life a place where the fire had gone out. Asuka gasped as Shinji appeared next to her, his eyes devoid of life as well.  
  
"Asuka. Why do you love me." The dream Shinji said, his voice monotone as dead.  
  
"I don't love YOU. I love Shinji. He is the only person echo has ever really.loved me."  
  
"What of your mother." The dream Rei said  
  
"My mother is gone now. 02 has been completely destroyed." As she said those words hot tears flowed down her cheek.  
  
"No. She lives. Her influence, her love, is what you want from Shinji." The pale and lifeless Shinji said  
  
"NO! I have finally found someone who loves me for myself! He doesn't see me as a doll, not a miniature adult, not like wonder girl. He loves ME!"  
  
The clouds in the sky then gathered to form the massive shape of the unit 8 series.  
  
"NO! I wont pilot that thing!" Asuka screamed  
  
"Why. You just said the 02 was destroyed. You will have no choice." Said dream-Rei  
  
Asuka sighed as her world went dark once more. She was now alone without her mother, her father, her stepmother her evangelion and now..even Shinji was lost to her. 


	10. One way to the Heart

Chapter 9: One way to the Heart  
  
Shinji pressed his face to the glass of Asukas medical room, longing for her surgery to be finished so he could go see her, to stroke her long hair and say she was appreciated, that he would not leave her and that he actually loved her. Love. Shinji thought he didn't really like Asuka but in the recent weeks he had begun to wonder. He knew he loved Rei but not in the way he loved Asuka. Rei was the kind of person he could say anything to but Asuka, the fiery redhead whose temper was more devastating than an N2 mine, she was the one he wanted to be with for the rest of his days. Shinji kept his feelings bottled up for all that time, believing them to be his own perverted delusion..that is until Asuka said she needed to stop running away from him, that she actually wanted to be with him. Shinji shudder to think of how he thought of her before, as a conceited she-bitch who thought only of herself. Deep down Shinji knew they were destined for some common fate, and if it was love, so be it. Suddenly Gendo approached him and put his arm on Shinji's shoulders. Shinji released his anxiety in a sigh as he looked over too his father." I know how you feel son." Gendo said  
  
"I don't think so. I don't thin anybody dose."  
  
"You shouldn't think like that son. When your mother attained a 400+ sync ratio with unit 1, we tried everything to try and extract her. But the worst thing was seeing unit 1 right in front of me and not being able to do a thing. I could not sync with unit one because the stress would have destroyed me and I needed all my abilities to free Yui from her prison. However it soon dawned on me that it was Yui could not be freed, it was that she didn't want to return, that she believed her goals better achieved from within 01. When the last angel was finally stopped I realized maybe Yui would want to return, thus, Ritsuko and I used a new LCL to reconstruct your mother original body to house her soul. However in my rush to find another solution, in denial of Yui's choice, I made Rei through the forbidden science of cloning and gene manipulation. I can never forgive myself fro what I have done with Rei, and even more so for my intentions when she was made. But Rei is her own self now, no longer bound to Yui's memories. She is also my Scarlet Letter, my reminder, and my everlasting symbol of sin that will haunt my dreams forever and ever. Shinji, Asuka is in a state where she must decide weather or not to return. Should she return to us you must be ready to face her and not run away." Shinji nodded in agreement as he walked through the door, to sit by Asukas side and wait.  
  
The colossal white figure seemed to be staring at her with its seven eyes, the eyes of Jehovah themselves. Rei often stood and stared into the abyss of Lilith's gaze, finding solace in the fact they were one creature, a mother and daughter. However now she only found tortured memories and regret. She wasn't an angel because she was mortal. The memories that once occupied the grim spaces of her sorrow filled soul were now replaced by the actual memories of her interaction with others: The pilot Helen whom she had been growing fond of. The strong willed Asuka, seemed to love Shinji in a way Rei could not comprehend but respected nonetheless Yui, her sergeant "mother". Whenever she was around Yui it was what could only be defined as.happiness. But was not Yui, she was Rei. She was herself. Rei then turned on Lilith and walked away, never looking back nor feeling shame. She was, and would always be, herself. As Rei walked away, it was as if the sad part of her soul, the part of her that was sorrow and sadness, passed on into a new and proud person. Rei had shed her coat and was now the one thing she always wanted to be: Rei Aiyanami, human being human, no longer Rei Aiyanami, human being an angel.the angel in her was gone.  
  
Misato looked through her personal papers, the result of sloppy housework on her part. As she rummaged she came across something that made her heart stop cold.a picture of Kaji sitting on a couch in their old apartment. The picture had been taken so long ago the only thing Misato recognized was Kaji's face: not the couch, the room, his clothes, or even the picture on the wall, just, Kaji's face. Misato looked at it and then noticed a single tear had hit the pictures glass frame and came to rest over his heart. Misato smiled, brushed off the tear and put the picture up on the wall, then continued to work on her forms, which meant more rummaging.  
  
Helen and Damien were on the surface, overseeing he carnage. Damien wore his long obsidian trench coat with his long hair pulled back over his ears. Helen saw the devastation through her small glasses and was staggered. Pieces of the second demon littered the scrape as they walked on, passing parts of JSDF equipment left over from Tyrs rampage. "Is this want man dose.creating ruins? Everywhere he has lived man never settles, rather, they are sail, captured, and annihilated and all that is left is ruins..parts of themselves to stand as monuments to those who world come after." Helen said. Damien laughed and he stepped over the body of a fallen PALADIN soldier.  
  
"No dear sister. This is a place of death and rebirth. Here all the death will mass up until the ground itself bleeds. The bodies will pile and the skeleton will outnumber the living. Fire will rage, floods will rise, and snow will fall. As all these things overlap, the land will be overtaken by the Ragnarock and then rebirth will begin These things, these foolish dead, are but stepping stones to that victory, that moment of ascension we will begin once the last of the demons is slain."  
  
"I don't know if what we are doing is right though Damien. If rebirth is what is needed that why wont we use the EVA series to begin the 3rd impact like SEELE wants.or rather, wanted. Why the ASIER project?"  
  
"Because mother knows the best route for mankind. It was she and father who defied these futile "gods" and will be the ones to lead the Ragnarock itself. Damien turned to see Helen had frozen in her steps.  
  
"Never call that women "mother". Not ever, not around me  
  
"But she is our mother, it was she who culled us from the masses of DNA and formed our minds, file it with knowledge, gave us a cause.a purpose."  
  
"You dare to call THIS a purpose!?" Helen aid angrily as he waved to the still burning carnage around them.  
  
"Yes. This is merely the beginning of mankind's ultimate fate."  
  
"Which is WHAT! What is operation ASIER?" Helen shouted  
  
"You have read the briefing haven't you? The file said everything  
  
"Not what I want to know! Tyr and I seem to be the ones who don't know! Tell me please, what is the real meaning of the ASIER project  
  
Damien smiled to himself as he tuned and kept on walking on, leaving Helen behind to ponder ASIER.  
  
Asuka opened her eyes and thought she was once again dreaming when she saw the face of Shinji before her," Am I alive.or deceased?" she asked in a horse and tired voice. Shinji was almost to the point of tears when he realized she was really awake,  
  
"Yes. You are alive." Asuka smiled as she reached out and took Shinji's hand, his warm grip revitalizing her soul. "You tried to die for me Asuka. Please don't do that. It would have been to painful to see you..."His words trailed off but Asuka knew what he meant, "I didn't truly know how to express my emotions.I just wanted to save you from the creature I had become."  
  
"The demon form of 02 was-" he was cut off  
  
"I didn't mean that version of me. I meant this cruel thing I have become. You probably can't stand me anymore." Asuka said sorrowfully. Shinji saw Asuka, her form slender and beautiful in the pale hospital light, her eyes aflame with life. Shinji knew he might not live to see the next sunrise.. With all his courage he bent over and kissed her, his lips speaking with an emotion inexpressible in words, her warm hand still interlocked with his own. He felt Asuka reach out and put her arm over his shoulder, drawing him closer. As he broke off the kiss, Asuka saw no more the spineless worm who feared other, but rather, a strong wild young man who loved her and was finally no ashamed to show it. "Shinji Ikari I think I am falling in love with you." She smiled as she slipped into the lonely blackness, but not quite as lonely as before, with Shinji's kiss still arm on her lips.  
  
Yui looked at her son, no longer a child, but a real man. Yui stepped away from the windowpane as she and Geno walked off, hoping not to draw attention to themselves who Shinji had apparently forgotten about.  
  
Rei sat in the Katsuragi residence watching Misato juggle burning squid, again, a pot of boiling Miso soup, a rack of seriously overdone lamb, and the blaring smoke detector. Rei smiled at the oddly calm Misato jumping around moving burning food to the trash and then realizing she was tossing the food she actually managed to prepare right! Shinji and Toji came in from outside and saw the miniature war zone. Both began laughing like hyenas only to receive flying pieces of fiery squid being thrown by a very pissed Misato. The pilots all took their cue and left the house before it burned down. "Hey Toji.wanan go do something in town, by the new Theater Section?" Toji was completely surprised as it was never the part of Shinji to suggest anything. "Wha? I guess so. Sure. Why not." Shinji smiled while Rei looked at the both in her whimsical tone of amazement and question, masked by her normally emotionless face. But then, all of a sudden, she openly smiled a smile unparalleled by even her greatest moments of happiness. Shinji was speechless while Toji simply fainted.  
  
  
  
Aki looked over the field notes she had gathered from the various evangelion tests. It was safe for Aki to assume those in NERV who had any real authority knew or al least thought of her allegiance to another authority other than SEELE. The time was soon coming when the new EVAs would fight alongside the old in a valiant battle. The third was on it's way and with it, terror beyond the grasp of human reason. 


	11. Wish Upon an Unholy Star

Chapter 10: Wish upon an Unholy Star  
  
Shinji, Toji, Rei, Helen, Misato, Yui and Gendo were all seated when the news arrived in the central conference room. They had been waiting for Aki, Tyr, and Damien so the official meeting of the evangelion upgrades could be addressed. The young technician, a boy really, came up behind Yui and whispered the dreaded message. At 7:32 pm, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, was in a plane crash en route to the NERV branch in Germany to oversee the final construction phase of the 07 unit. The plane apparently crashed over the Rhine River and there were no survivors Yui's face collapsed into horror. The others looked over at her and awaited the retelling to the tragedy. As everyone came into a state of shock over the loss, Gendo walked out of the room, alone. Shinji stood up to co comfort him, but Yui pulled him back down and nodded in disagreement. Shinji looked down at Rei, her face having begun to cry real tears of sadness. As much as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi had been involved in her creation, her living torment, Rei could not help but cry.even for her tormentor. Misato walked over the phone and called up the rest of NERV's high-ranking personnel. Yui got up slowly, her hands trembling.  
  
"The meeting will be rescheduled until next week. I trust by then you will have all your modifications selected?' Yui looked around at the sadden faces and knew they all needed rest.  
  
"Lets all get home and then some sleep." Misato said. Toji, Helen, and Rei went to take their bus home while Misato left Shinji with Yui, choosing to allow them some time alone as it was so rare when they ever got any.  
  
"Do you want to run away Shinji?" Yui said slowly  
  
"No mother. If I run away than Asuka will be alone. I want to be there when she reawakens, when we can be together. I cant runaway,"  
  
"I am happy to hear that Shinji. I know how lonely the evangelion can make one seem thus I know a mutual soul in this world is something everyone needs. You and your father aren't used to one another yet. Misato had Kaji but is now dealing with the loneliness as best she can around you. Toji has found a friend in you and the team while Helen has her own team unit, plus she seems to be bonding with Rei. But even tough I have not been around you much and would love to bee your companion in these dark times I do believe, as you do, that the one you are destined for is Asuka Langley Shoyu." She has no one as well, thus you will have to be strong for her Shinji." Shinji smiled as Yui embraced him, trying to fill his void with her motherly warmth.  
  
"Mother.where did father go off to?"  
  
"I think I know but I cannot be sure. Go home now and get some needed rest. I have to go find Dr. Aki." Shinji left the room. As the door closed Yui pulled out a cellular phone as called up a number. There was a pause as it connected.  
  
"Yui here. Is it done? Good work. I will expect it to be online by tonight. There should be no excuses Aki. You are walking a dangerous line with me so if I find this is another roe of your little schemed, like the one you pulled last time, SEELE will be given my personal recommendation for your immediate execution. Very well. Goodnight."  
  
Aki hung up her cell phone as put it in her pocket, turning to face the matter the hand, the matter of the new "hardware' NERV was going to need installed.  
  
"Are you sure this is what you desire?" Aki said, a tone of sarcastic wit in her tone. A person from the shadows simply responded with one word.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Aki smiled at the response and turned on her computers, ready to begin the operation.  
  
  
  
The hospital room was empty now, save for Shinji who pried the door open to get next to Asuka. Everything was silent expect for the humming hiss of Asuka's respirators. Shinji ran his fingers through her delicate red hair and sighed aloud a sound of sorrowful joy. Joy at having found his destined companion, but sorrow hat having lost her. Shinji looked over Asuka in the pale light of the monitors and smiled, his hands coming to rest on her shoulder. In the quiet Shinji heard Asuka whisper is name in a dream, or a nightmare, or maybe both at the same time. Shinji smiled again and turned his head to see the white face of Damien looking in on then through the glass, his features overshadowed by his black form and the little light, except for his radiant eyes. Damien entered the small room and stood over Shinji, now eclipsed by the 6th Childs shadow.  
  
"You seem to care greatly for the Shoyu girl, don't you Shinji." Damien said, a slight echo in his voice, as if being carried off by the wing beats of the demons that must have formed his ghoulish features.  
  
"Yes I do. I didn't think I so at first but now I am positive she is the only I love."  
  
The word love made Damien seem to cringe.  
  
"I suppose that is good for you, Ikari. Everyone needs something to survive for, something for which to fight."  
  
"What do you fight for Damien?" The tall figure seemed to close his eyes in blissful thinking, a long pause before he answered.  
  
"If I told you here and now, in this place, you would not understand. The time of the message will be soon and when it comes THEN you would e able to grasp its principles."  
  
"What to do mean?"  
  
"Shinji, in this world and in all others, their have and will always bee 2 factions. Those who serve the forces of the light like you, and those who seek to attain the power of the road less traveled, the powers of the demon realm, the powers of darkness. This is the way it has always been Shinji, until now. There is a balance in these two places, a zone of total infinity. That zone is where Tyr is. His mind is a torrent of a great war, a choice he will never be able to make: good, or evil? I and Helen and even Aiyanami, are factions of various spectrums of the two groups. There will come a time tough, when this fragile existence will shatter, and all will be in the void. That time is not now. When the said date arrive Ikari, stand on what you believe in, your love of your family, for Asuka. The third is almost here and with it shall come a power felt by neither man, nor angel, nor Evangelion."  
  
"You confuse Mr. Damien. You, Aki, Tyr, even Helen. You all seem so out of place here." Those words brought a long and narrow smile to Damien thin mouth.  
  
"How right you are Shinji. How right you are."  
  
Rei was alone when Helen entered her home, as per her invitation.  
  
"Rei, are you home?" Helen asked, a pause in her voice to hear a response.  
  
"I am in the kitchen." Said Rei.  
  
"Hey, what's going on Rei?" asked Helen in a playful Russian tone. Rei smiled slightly as she gave Helen a large gift box, wrapped in silver and yellow.  
  
"I wanted to get you something." Rei said quietly. Helens eyes teared up, as she had to put the present down on the table to support herself from utter emotional collapse. Rei, mortified, ran up to her and saw the weeping Russian girl clenching a necklace, one hidden beneath her shirt, a necklace Rei believed she kept hidden for some reason. Helen stood up and opened the necklace's metal palate, a locket. Inside were two images of a man and a woman.  
  
"Are these your parents?" asked Rei. Helen nodded and wiped away her tears, which burned her face now,  
  
"my mother was apart of the team were called the "DAUGHTERS OF INVALDI". They consisted of my mother, my stepmother, Asuka's mother and Tyr's mother. These women were all brilliant scientists and were the designers of the Evangelion under SEELE itself. But a bizarre accident during a mass sync operation killed my mother, robbed Mrs. Shoyu of her sanity. Tyr's mother survived for a week before dieing of a brain hemerage. The day before the tests, my mother gave me a gift just like this, in the exact same wrapping. Inside was this locket of her and my father. I still carry it upon my breast, a reminder of how much I loved her."  
  
"What of the step mother?" Rei asked. That question brought a hideous sneer on Helens face. "That person is dr. Aki." Helen swept away more tears as she looked into Reis calm red eyes. 'You know, looking into those soup red eyes, I think I can go on." Helen said as she embraced Rei in a small way and opened her gift. Inside was a golden necklace with a small winged heart upon it. Helen was never happier to have received anything in her life.  
  
"Rei, why did you do this for me?" Helen asked as she prepared to sit down next to Rei. Rei's only response was,  
  
"I wanted to do something nice for someone else."  
  
  
  
Mr. Abraham sat at his long black metal desk, a pie of reports before him, a cell phone in his hand "And you are sure everything is linked up correctly?" he said. "Good. Than the operation will go as scheduled? I expect better news than last time." He clicked off his phone. As he did, an immense presence swept through the room, a chill, a shadow, an omnipotent force. "Ah, master. I have just received word of the operation. Everything will be as you have wished it to be." The chill grew powerful in a surge, as if answering Abraham's good news. The chill then left the room, leaving the cold blooded Mr. Abraham in a hot sweat.  
  
  
  
Shinji left the hospital room to use the bathroom. As he walked along the dark halls he saw a flickering shadow scuttle against the way, down through another hall. Shinji turned and saw nothing. Despite the obvious foolishness of shadow chasing, Shinji went down to where the shadow had been. As he reached the opposite hall, he found an old mantinence room door lying halfway open. Shinji slowly opened the door, expecting to find old janitorial supplies. Instead he found a long unlit staircase. Wondering about Asuka Shinji began to turn and leave, until he heard footsteps. As fast as Shinji could he jumped into a dark corner, away from the stairs and waited. As the steps grew louder he saw the dark shadow of Dr. Aki exit the stairwell and leave the room, closing the door behind her. Shinji got up and walked down the stairs, wondering why Aki would be in the hospital ward at such an ungodly hour. As he went further down he could hear the buzz of machinery and the whistle of gears Suddenly Shinji came upon a large room. In its center was an old dummy plug core chamber. But instead of being empty, it was filled with a lime green LCL fluid, covered by precipitation. Through the icy water droplets, Shinji could see a persons shape. The closer Shinji walked to the chamber, the colder his blood became, as if the icy layer f dew on the dummy chamber was emitting a freezing field that was being sent through his very soul. Shinji nervously placed his hand to the glass and wiped it away. In his horror he vomited onto the floor. There, in the camber, was Dr. Akagi, nude, head shaven. Inside her skull and going up no the ceiling were cables of every kind, her once beautiful face now misplaced against a collection of wires. The quite body of Akagi floated in the LCL, her eyes not opened, as if she had been 'deactivated." Then, in Aki's forehead, Shinji saw an image that stopped his heart and made him faint. Upon Dr. Akagi's forehead was a small red pyramid, with the number 1 set upon it. Shinji's mind went numb as he hit the floor, hard. 


	12. BOOK 1, chapter 1-9, OVERVIEW

BOOK 1 "Times of Change" OVERVIEW CHAPTERS 1-9  
  
The story opens right after the death of Tabriss, the final messenger of God. But as SELE planed to sue the EVA's. ascend to heaven and kill Gendo for his treachery, the crafty NERV commander played his trump card at a Un Dinner Party. Yui was alive, an with her, all the untranslated secrets of the dead sea scrolls, including knowledge that before mankind could enter its new genesis, man must first face the five demons of the world, followed up by an as of yet unknown test. SEELE tried to assassinate Gendo but to no avail. Without NERV and the Eva pilots, SEELE was doomed. Keel agreed to keep NERV in the loop but with Yui in charge while Gendo was hospitalized. This also brought 4 mew faces to NERV. One was the brilliant but deadly Dr. Aki, a woman who seemed to be hiding more revelation than she was giving. Then there were the ASIER; a group of elite EVA pilots who were to take their places in the SEELE ascension, now assigned to help NERV battle the demon as they arrived. To summon the demons up from their slumber, Yui called for the Lance of Longinus to be sent home, via NASA. But when the lance plummeted into the ocean an EVA rescue team was sent in, including the new pilot of EVA 05, Tyr. As Tyr touched the Lance however, the first demon was awakened and a battle ensured, with Tyr destroying the monster thanks to Shinji's help. As everyone settled in at their new home, some of the new pilots made friends with Rei, like Helen. The two seemed to get along, even with Aki looking down on the relationship. The last of the new faces was that of the mysterious Damien, a boy who Rei seemed to be very uncomfortable around. But was NERV readied for the assault of a demon, it came rather from mere men in the form of the LEGION group. Their representative, in a bid to scoop NERV out of SEELE power, contacted Yui. But Yui disagreed and chose to scorn the shadowy group of men. In retaliation, LEGION tricked a zealous team of presitial soldiers into overtaking NERV via stolen pass codes and blueprints. But when the treachery was discovered, it was too late. One Eva had been seriously damaged, many lay dead, and the new hint of treachery permeated the air. After the battle the second demon did arrive and brought with it the horrors of a new ability: possession. In a grueling battle Asuka took the demon on and destroyed its body. However the demon then possessed unit 2 and tried to destroy Shinji, who was forced to destroy 02 completely after Asuka's failed self-detonation. Now in the hospital, Asuka battles with her own dark dreams as she comes to grips with her feelings towards Shinji. The pilot known as Tyr, a result of genetic experiments is rumored to be a type of new creature in the heavenly order, and something has apparently been done to dr. Ritsuko Akagi. But weather or not it was forced on her remains a mystery. With the secrets of the ASIER project coming to light, the Dr's mysterious condition, LEGION, and the coming of the 3rd demon, many speculate there is a darker power, waiting to be reborn in the fires of chaos. 


	13. BOOK 2, Chapter 11: Sins of the Father, ...

EVANGELION OPERATION ASIER: BOOK 2: Prince of the Air, Reborn  
  
CHAPTER 11: Sins of the father, Revenge of the Son  
  
Tyr sat in his small room within the NERV complex, his face lowered to look at the picture in his hand. The silver frame as no larger than a school textbook but within it was a face that haunted Tyr's dreams night and day. It was a beautiful woman, her hair tossed by the wind and her face warmed by the setting sun. She was pregnant at the time, with him. In the background stood a tall figure, his face slightly aged but still strong and hard, like stone itself. How two people could find love in one another was beyond him capacity of reason. As Tyr looked at the woman n the picture his hand began to tremble, first a little, then more, then violently. Tyr reared back his hand and threw the picture against the wall with a glass- shattering thud. Tyr sighed heavily as he realized what he had done, and that he was crying. In his bathroom Tyr went to the mirror and looked over his features. He wasn't ugly by any standards, although nor was he beautiful. He was fair skinned with red/blonde hair and eyes that sent most people walking the opposite direction. Tyr touched his face; trying to touch that one part of him that seemed to be under the surface, that one part of him that was missing. His soul. Tyr then looked upon his chest, at a scar, a reminder of his own living sin. In his very body was grafted a strange metal object, about the size of a dinner plate, with writings Tyr couldn't understand. In the disks center was a poorly drawn image of a humanoid creature with a slumped back and two eyes. Tyr knew who it was: Adam. Tyr hated the metal crest he bore but knew if he tried to have it removed his purpose for living, Eva, would be taken away from him. Fenrir. He was raised in its shadow, nurtured by the LCL in which he would sit as an infant in Aki's laboratory. Aki. That woman was the bane of his existence. The things he would so to that woman if he ever got the chance too would horrify some, and seem fitting to others. Tyr splashed cold water on his face and then, in his water-cooled gaze, saw the face of Shinji Ikari. How Tyr hated him as well. The great Ikari, savior of the precious Tokyo 3, when he "valiantly" stopped the "berserker" 05. Tyr loathed Shinji, what he stood for, who he was, why he fought, and whom he fought with. The girl, Asuka Shoyu, was as emotionally weak as he was, thus, it seemed natural for them to make a good couple. But Tyr's hatred of Shinji and Aki paled in comparison to that of his father. Tyr's father, the man who impregnated, then divorced his mother. His father, the man who gave him to Dr. Aki in the hopes of producing the ultimate warrior, the ultimate "human being" Tyr often thought about destroying his father but waved the thoughts away, most of the time. But now Tyr knew the end was at hand. With two of the five demons gone, he would have to settle the score with his parents, and his mother was out of his grasp. His father would suffer, and then, Tyr would make Shinji suffer, the Aki. His pain would become their pane. Tyr got out of his room and walked outside, along the empty and cold halls, the quiet calming his soul. As he walked, he waved to a security guard, letting him know he was roaming the night, as he often did. Wondering where the Asuka girl was, Tyr looked at the charts in the medical ward and went to her window. The light was on, illuminating her sleeping features, but no one else was there. Ikari wasn't with her. Tyr was about to leave when he suddenly felt the cold presence of Aki, its elusiveness beyond his grasp. Tyr began to turn to the source of the presence, his instincts now having taken over. Tyr walked along the halls until he came upon an open door, its lock having been not fully closed. Tyr saw inside, a stairwell and he walked along its cold and damp stairs, the apparent sound of machinery being herd as he went deeper. As he reached the stairs end he saw a green LCL filled tube with a figure inside of it, the figure of Dr. Akagi, whom had just been reported as deceased that very afternoon. But their on the floor, lying next to puddle of his own vomit was Shinji Ikari, bleeding from the head where he must have had fainted. Tyr walked closer and looked over the unconscious Ikari. Tyr then looked up at the also unconscious Dr. Akagi. Tyr looked around the room and found a metal pipe, apparently removed for all the circuitry and wires piped up from Ritsuko's brain. Tyr looked over the pipe and picked it up, feeling the weight in his hand, it sheer punishing strength. Tyr then looked over at Shinji, lying there, an easy victim. Tyr screamed in anger and raised the pipe above his head, and then with one strong downwards motion, swung the pipe over Shinji's head...but stopping before he hit a single hair. The sheer fact he didn't slam Ikari's brains out then and their staggered Tyr. It was as if he couldn't go through with the motion at all, like something was stopping his arm from doing Shinji any damage whatsoever! Tyr, now very confused, began to clench his head in pain as images of Ikari, along with all Tyr thoughts about him, swirled along in is subconscious. Tyr tried to resist the images but could not. Tyr knew, deep in his own twisted heart, that he could do Shinji no physical harm but how then could he have done so in the Fenrir? Tyr assumed it was his state of mind, the fact that he had snapped. But now, here, in this cold room, Tyr was in his right mind and cold not harm to Shinji. Tyr, instead, picked Shinji up in his arms and began to walk towards the stairs, until he heard the footsteps of another person! Tyr raced into the shadows, behind a storage closet and waited to see whom it was that was approaching. It was Damien. Tyr despised Damien in many ways, but mostly for his calm and confident attitude, as if he were playing life like a game of chess and winning at every turn. Damien, not noticing Tyr whatsoever, came down the stairs and looked at the floor, immediately noticing the vomit and blood from Shinji's weak stomach, and weaker skull. Damien stooped over the two excrements and seemed to be sensing the room for any signs of intruders. Damien looked over a control panel, apparently linked up to Akagi's servo-circuits. Then, another person enterd the room. This time it was Helen, wearing a very brightly reflective golden necklace that Tyr saw from a great distance away.  
  
"What is THAT?" asked Damien angrily  
  
"Rei gave it to me." Helen answered, a sass in her voice  
  
"Why do you consort with that doll?"  
  
"She is more human than SOME of us here, now lets get this over with!"  
  
"Agreed. Akagi's life signs are reading nominal and she is set up to be processed by the MAGI."  
  
"Fine. Tommorow we'll transport her to Central Dogma and have the links established." Suddenly something caught Helens eyes. It was the pyramid on Ritsuko's forehead.  
  
"What is THAT doing on here?" Helen scolded, as if it was some sort of joke that had gone on too long. Damien snickered "call it one of Aki's little jests."  
  
"Well its dangerous. Should somebody have found this place ands seen that symbol. Help he pet it off!" Helen snapped angrily. Helen climbed up the tubes miniature stepping rods and reached into the LCL, avoiding pulling any of Akagi's wiring. With the gentlest of kill, she removed the small metal insignia. It was a magnet. "I don't know who put this here but It could have erased her hard rive!"  
  
"Oh calm down. They're all encased in organics and will be fine! Aki probably wanted to get a laugh out of us, that's all. I thought it was funny."  
  
"Oh shut up." Helen said. She checked more of the computer panels' readings while Damien waited next to the stairs. "You know, somebody was in here." Damien said. Helens eyes widened. "Who do you think it was?"  
  
"Couldn't say for sure. Who ever it was probably wont say anything. Hell, who'd believe'em? That Dr. Akagi isn't dead, jus linked to the MAGI? Please. Lets go. Section 2 will be all over this by tomorrow night so lets get Aki informed" Helen frowned as she and her callous brother went back up that stairs. Tyr, still holding Shinji, followed suite, leavening he strange findings where they were. Tyr had apparently avoided Helen and Damien, since they were both gone by the time he reached the hospital; ward. Shinji's small wound had stopped bleeding but his breath still reeked. Why could he just have been able to smash him, just ONCE! The thought soon gave Tyr a headache as he entered Asuka's hospital room. Tyr placed Shinji on the bed next to Asuka. Suddenly, Asuka's eyes opened up, her breath catching him her lungs forcing her to cough. Tyr turned and saw her, her mind in a daze. "Tyr? Why are you here? Where is Shinji?" she staggered.  
  
"Ikari went I investigate something while he was watching over you. He injured himself and I found him. Lucky for him too. He will be fine, Second Child. Go to sleep now. You're going to need it." Asuka looked over next to her and saw Shinji, a dribble of blood on his face. Tyr wetted a towel and wiped his wound off, even going so far as to clean and disinfect it. Tyr had stunned himself as Asuka got out of bed and pulled a chair over to the side of Shinj's bed. "May I ask what you are doing?" Tyr aid  
  
"He sat over me for two days. The least I can do is one nights worth." She said slowly, as if she had come to a staggering conclusion. Tyr looked at her in a type of mild shock, thought them both fools and walked out. As he walked he caught a glace of Asuka crying over Shinji's sleeping form through the window. Tyr didn't know, nor care what to think. As Tyr reached his room, he saw a note had been pined to his door. It read simply-"That one was free". Tyr crumpled the note and walked back into his room. After the weird walk he had jus had, he needed it.  
  
Shinji awoke to the sound of a beautiful tune. He looked around and saw Asuka sitting over him, her throat the source of the beautiful medley. Asuka smiled as Shinji pulled himself up, a bit alarmed to find a wound on his head. "How did I get here?" Shinji asked, hoping he hadn't been found but rather had pulled himself back in a daze.  
  
"Tyr brought you in and cleaned your head. Where did you go off to?" Asuka said playfully, yet sleepily as well.  
  
"I-" Shinji paused for a moment."- went and looked over at the south hall. I thought I saw Maya but I must have slipped and hit my head." Shinji hated to lie but saying he found dr. Akagi nude in a plastic tube sounded like something he had dreamt up to hide something else. But isn't that what he just did? Asuka smiled as she leaned in to kiss Shinji slowly, which Shinji allowed her too do. It was something he welcomed after what he had jus been through. Suddenly Asuka leaned back and had a sickend look on her face. "WHEW! What did you earth for dinner Shinji? Where you duped into eating Misato's cooking again!" she laughed. Suddenly a voice form behind spooked them both.  
  
"WHATS THAT ABOUT MY COOKING?" Misato yelled  
  
Asuka and Shinji laughed as Misato entered the room, a bushel of flowers in her hand with a standard 'get well soon" card attached.  
  
"I am glad to see you kid have, um, well, uh, YOU KNOW!" Misato blushed sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah Misato. We know." Shinji said calmly. He then noticed Asuka had taken his hand into hers and was gently squeezing it with her own.  
  
"I guess I'll just leave you kids alone!" Misato said as she began to get up.  
  
"No it OK Misato. Stay a bit." Asuka motioned, her free hand pulling Misato back into her chair  
  
"Oh well, ok. Have you heard the news Asuka?" Misato began Shinji's face redden suddenly as she realized what Asuka didn't already know.  
  
"Dr. Ritsuko was in a plane crash this afternoon. She died Asuka." Asuka's face reddened with shock as she hugged Misato out of sorrow for her lost friend. "I'm, ok Asuka. Somehow I don't think the battle harddend dr. Ritsuko Akagi is gone." Shinji chuckled a bit and was then glad they didn't ear him  
  
  
  
The next morning was a slow day, as many had taken off work to grieve their mutual loss. Some workers stayed behind to monitor the daily events, as the demons would not take a day off to mourn. Yui sat in her central chair, Gendo and Fuyutsuki at her sides.  
  
"Yui, how is the operation coming along with unit 7."  
  
"Fine. They were completed this morning and the evangelion is being flow over as we speak."  
  
"Tell me again why this one is so special?" Gendo said, to which Fuyutsuki answered  
  
"Apparently, according to Dr. Aki. This Eva is a new model. I believe it has the capacity to learn according to the pilot. Like a living computer."  
  
"Who is going to pilot these Eva's? We still haven manned the 08 yet and the 02 is only 30% reconstructed. Yui sighed in disbelief  
  
"Apparently dr. Aki is going to use an advanced dummy Plug system for it. The experiment begins tomorrow. And until the 02 is ready, the 08 will be manned by Asuka."  
  
"She's awake?!" Yui said happily.  
  
"Yes. She revived herself last night and is doing fine." Gendo said  
  
"Where is she now" asked Yui. But she already knew. With Shinji. The thought brought a smile to Yui's heart as she went back over the relay station s newest repots  
  
  
  
Asuka wolfed down a plate of Misato's home made soup so fast it made Toni's head spin.  
  
"You know (slurp), this soup (much) isn't so bad (slurp, munch, slurp)!" Asuka aid. Shinji looked on his disbelief while Rei took a tiny sip of her bowl, blushed, and shoved it away when no one was looking. PenPen looked into his bowl and saw more homemade food, cringed and made a small whining noise, wanting real food.  
  
"Come on you guys! Eat up! Asuka seems to be enjoying it!" Misato chimed happily, until Asuka suddenly ran into the bathroom. After some very gruesome noises the toilet flushed. "Just out of the hospital and already sick!" Toji laughed aloud as the now green-face Asuka threw a bowl at his head, knocking his out oh is chair. Everyone laughed, but not at Toji (well, ok Asuka was laughing at Toji), but more at the fact that happiness hat settled back again, despite the passing of Dr. Akagi. Misato smiled to herself as the children all gathered at the table, their minds a flutter with random thoughts.  
  
"Hey guys how about a movie!" Misato said, trying to interject some life into the party. Everyone seemed to like the idea; even Rei seemed a little enthusiastic. While they all argued over r weather or not to go see "Star Trek 27: Klingons Again!", Misato called up Yui and signed out for the children as it was a Saturday anyway. Yui was more than happy to let them be children for the day, rather than keep them bored in NERV as Eva pilots. Misato turned on he beeper in case of an attack and they call pilled into Misato small car.  
  
The demon was immense as it rose from the oceans depths. Formed as a huge serpentine mass of coils and fibers, it twisted and turned together, like a living group of fleshy wires all bound by invisible thread. The MASSIVE creature seemed to move by levitation as it snaked its way across the Japanese coastline. Towards the mountainous regions to the south.  
  
It was a loud blaring as the alarms erupted across the command center, reporting a huge military disturbance along the southern coastlines. Yui had just gotten back from lunch when her phone rang. Yui picked up the phone, the opposite end covered by the sounds of heavy static and explosions.  
  
"Yui, this is keel. Send an evangelion here NOW! The third is here and is assaulting our faculties at the southern shores. SEELE has gathered onto a plane and is bound for the GeoFront. The demon seems to be following our plane and the escort jets aren't holding it back!"  
  
"I will have an Eva dispatched at one!" Yu clicked off the phone as She looked over to Maya, who was now the offical leader of the technical division. "Maya, get Tyr into his EVA. Is it ready t go?"  
  
"Just finished up repairs last night!"  
  
"Good. Put Damien is as backup." Yui said.  
  
  
  
The EVA-class sky transports were over the battlefield as Tyr looked at the chaos from the Fenrir's entry plug. Now equipped with an EVA-model sword, Tyr was s ready to do his best and rid the world of another pesky demon. The sky was ablaze with gunfire as the demon slithered along the surface of the air, seemingly chasing after a small jet shuttle. SEELE. Tyr and Damien were dropped from above and they then hit the ground with a tremendous impact. Keel looked out the window of the plane and smiled. At last their saviors had arrived. The demon seemed to busy swatting down jet fighters to notice Damien loading his liquid napalm spray lines into his back-canister. Tyr looked over at Damien and smiled. Too bad he wouldn't get to use his weaponry, Tyr thought to himself as he armed his blades and drew up his sword. Suddenly the demon took full notice of Tyr and Damien, its bizarre cable makeup twisting and quivering. Tyr sneered in a battle ready grunt as he charged the demon head-on, swinging his weapon at the creatures center segment. The demon then threw out dozens of its string like body and wrapped then around Fenrr's arm. Tyr then felt as if he was being drained him of his thoughts. The demon suddenly detached it's grip and then coiled up inside of itself, as if it were transforming. Which it was. The demon then wriggled and writhed as it suddenly began to assume a bipedal position; their bodies solidifying into a humanoid shape, without features save for two glowing orange eyes. Tyr smiled to see this demon was intelligent enough to assume other forms, and even happier to see it had chosen the prefect specimen from which to absorb data. Tyr reared back and swung his sword, only to be mortified to see the demon's arm block the hit without the aide of an At Field or even a flinch. Tyr was now officially pissed. Tyr swung the Fenrir's around for another swing but before he could act the now transformed demon took hold of his blade and with one hand, shattered it. Damien jumped into action. His thin, gangly evangelion sprayed a superheated stream of hot liquidized napalm at the demon. As the spray his its skin it recoiled in pain, and Tyr, sensing the beasts imminent damage, withdrew a blade from his EVANGELION arm and sliced through the blackish purple flesh. Writhing in a black-tar spray of blood the demon loosed a howl of rage that shook the sky. The SEELE shuttle was almost out of range. Tyr looked over and saw it, his heart ablaze with anger, his eyes now dilated with sheer emotional rage. Berserker. The Fenrir became a savage bestial force, a living symphony of blades in motion: slicing, stabbing, cutting, and bashing the demons chest, while Damien applied a steady stream f concentrated heat. As the Fenrir looked over at the now immobile and bleeding demon, the SEELE shuttle was overhead. In one heartbeat, Tyr regained his thoughts long enough to utter the words  
  
"Goodbye, Father."  
  
As his mind reverted to primality once more, Keel watched in horror as the huge arm of his son's out of control evangelion swung down over the shuttle and sliced through it on its way down to smash open the demons chest, ending its hideous life. Or so he thought. The demons body then began to shift and ripple as the wound was healed up in a matter of seconds, the demon rose up from the ground, still burning with pieces of the SEELE council, as well as chairman keel Lorenz. The demon churned in pain as from its back emerged a set of back wings, twice its own body size. Tyr's Fenrir sneered in a powerful roar as it grabbed the demon by its arms and tried to pull them off. Nothing. The demon waited, its body unshaken, un- broken, with Tyr still pulling as hard as he could. Finally the demon grabbed the opposite ends of the Fenrir's arms and tore them off, a spray of purple and green blood as the result. Still armed with his flaming grenades and a superheated body structure, Damien charged and grabbed hold of the creature's waits, heating the Eva up it its max. As trees and grass was set ablaze by the EVA's fiery body, the demon rose up his hand and threw the 06 aside like a scorched rage doll into the sea. Fenrir looked on in anger and spite as the demon opened its wings and leapt into the air, now having attained a form capable of challenging the only enemy it so desired..the one who had killed its younger brother, Evangelion 02 and 01. Still enraged at being used, Tyr commanded the Fenrir to rise up. Nothing, Again he commanded it rise up, and still nothing. Defeated by an unworthy enemy once more, Tyr thought. With the most powerful demon yet in the skies, SEELE having been murdered in a fit of emotional anger, and the loss of 2 evangelion, the day grew darker, and all the while, Shinji was watching a movie he didn't really like the acting in. Little did he know that his face was burned into the mind of a malevolence that had already taken down two enemies and was set on his blood. 


	14. And You said I hate You

Chapter 12: And you said, "I hate you."  
  
Aki couldn't believe what she was seeing. The image of the out-of- control Fenrir destroying the SEELE jetliner was horrifying as well as shocking. Tyr sat in the conference room, his arms crossed and his expression blank. Maya and Hyuga, who were actually on time for a meeting, sat and ran her eyes across a series of readouts taken at the times the Fenrir had previously gone out of control. Yui clicked doff the monitor in front of her and sighed a long and frustrated sigh.  
  
"You know Tyr, this could be accounted as murder." Yui said grimly, Tyr said nothing  
  
"Tyr why won't you answer me?" Yui said once more, trying to provoke some reaction from the silent warrior. Gendo, now very angry at Tyr's actions inside and now outside the EVA, stood up,  
  
"Tyr you will answer her this instant!" Gendo shouted.  
  
Tyr looked up at Gendo, that at Yui, then down at his lap. Silence filled the room for a long time. Finally Dr. Aki spoke up, in Tyr's defense no less.  
  
"I am sure Tyr dint actually mean what he did. SEELE was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple." Yui, tired and angry, raised her eyes up and frowned.  
  
"Simple? Simple? SIMPLE! SEELE is dead, Dr. Aki! We now officially dont have any funding! NERV has been severed from the lifeline SEELE provided and with it, all this, the EVA's, the research, the base, the pilots, will all be in the governments hands! THE GOVERNMENT! God knows what they will do to this place! They'll probably mass-produce the EVA as a new war machine to march across the earth in war to end all wars! Dr. Aki we are finished!" Dr. Aki snickered, then giggled, and was now in a full out laugh.  
  
"You poor simple girl. SEELE was but a branch off a much larger tree." Upon hearing that Yui sneered and then got a disgusted look over her face, one normally calm and peaceful.  
  
"I knew there would come a time when your LEGION loyalties would surface but I had no idea this was PLANNED OUT!" Suddenly a young messenger boy raced into the closed meting and handed Yui a letter. Yui opened it and then he face lit up like a newly plugged in Christmas tree.  
  
"Keel Lorenz is alive!" She said, her voice too excited for it to sound delivered properly. Tyr's eyes erupted open and he jumped from his chair.  
  
"It says here he is at the Jabuhtio Hospital near Hokkaido. His body was found in the ocean by a passing by ship. Apparently he is doing very well and they say it is a miracle he only has a few bumps and scratches!"  
  
"It doesn't surprise me now that you can remember who Keel Lorenz really is after all." Gendo said, a tone of ironic drama in his voice. Dr. Aki plastered on a fake smile as she lead Tyr out of the room.  
  
"How could he have survived!" Tyr said angrily  
  
"It doesn't matter now. It would seem your father has-" Aki was cut off by Tyr's fist in her face, a blow so hard it blew the glasses off her face and knocked her backward. Aki spun up angrily as she looked into Tyr's eyes, a blazing green fire. "NEVER call him that. EVER! I only do it at times and it sickens me, but I will NOT hear it from the likes of YOU!!" Tyr shouted. Aki smiled as she gathered her thoughts.  
  
"Too bad. Your FATHER is apparently a cursed man who will be harder to kill than an explosion of anger. Him giving you to me was the best decision he ever made, delivering his destroyer to his mortal enemy. Ironic isn't it? After all, in his zealous bid to get the paradise he so longs for he would even use his own son like a pawn in a game of chess. But the enemy he made with LEGION would use you as OUR pawn to be his undoing. You have no choice, not as long as THAT is upon you breast!" Aki pushed her finger against Tyr's plated chest, an expression of animalistic anger erupting from Tyr's lips. Tyr felt the power in his breast swell as he began to tremble with hate, the air growing electric around him. His hair began to rise in the magnetism he was generating. Small crackles of light wrinkled in the fabric of space around Tyr's body, his eyes now almost literally on fire. He stepped up to Aki and in a voice like a savage demon he muttered, "Be afraid for your soul!" Tyr then slipped into unconsciousness. Aki at first didn't know what to think, but then it hit her. She began to feel a sense of achievement sweep over her as the prophecies hit her memory. Over Tyr's body, still crackling with power, Aki laughed aloud.  
  
"Come now, Adam!" She laughed.  
  
  
  
"The movie was a masterpiece!" Toji shouted as they left the theater, after the 4 hour-long movie. Everyone grimaced at Toji's outburst of theatrical glee while Toji tried to see why everyone thought the movie was so bad.  
  
"They blew up the Enterprise at the end! What kind of an ending is that for any story? Asuka whined aloud. Everyone argued about the situations as they exited the theaters main entrance where a black limousine was waiting. Misato told the others to wait as she went up and talked to the driver. After a moment she motioned for the other children to get into the limo. As they all pilled in, a man in black informed then the newest demon was heading for the city. Shinji looked over to Asuka who seemed anxious to go and fight.  
  
"Be warned. This demon had already stopped the combine efforts of the Fenrir and the Garm. Both are heavily damaged." Those words seemed to send a chill through everyone. Both Damien and Tyr were defeated. Two of the coldest, frightening individuals ever seen were tossed aside. The limo finally reached NERV where the pilots suited up and went to be briefed by Yui and Maya. The picture was looking grim as the news of a smashed defense lines at Haknno finally reached HQ. The demon was one step closer to its goal. Obliteration of the Evangelions, the instrument of mans salvation from the darkness. Asuka put on her flight suite and thought she would cry. This would be her first battle without the 02, without her mother to be there and see her. She dried her ears though she knew another would be there to look at her, to love her. Shinji. With her head held up high, Asuka entered the entry plug for the 08 unit. The 08 was a deep smoke gray with lines of yellow and red coloring over its body armor. Even tough Asuka didn't want to be in the 08, it felt familiar to her somehow. She synced up to 70% and waited for the launch command. Toji and Shinji were all ready. On the command floor Yui and Gendo looked on over the central monitors. Their, a looming presence was, its wings open and it's eyes aglow. But unlike the demon before it, this one was modeled after a human creature, its physical form more man-like than the bizarre bird monster it was related too. Yi nodded and the EVAs were synced up. With a press of a button, the Evangelions were launched to the surface; just beyond the place where the second Rei had self detonated her unit 00. The place of the explosion, which included a large deal of Tokyo3, was called Rei's Lake, a monument park. The demons eyes pulsed with power as its smooth purple flesh rippled with an unseen aura of power and devastation. The demon then waved its hand and from that motion came a thunderbolt of light that struck Shinji and the 01 down hard. Toji engaged the 03's drives and the "AMS" (advanced mobility System,). With the motions of liquid, Toji struck the demon in the side of the head with a powerful assault kick, and as the demon fell to the ground, kicked back up into the air. The demon recoiled in anger and it took hold of 03's foot as it was in the STILL suspended in freefall. Regaining the momentum it needed, 03 stood on its hand and with its free leg, kicked the demon in the eyes with its heel, a spray of black blood as the result. Asuka then withdrew the 08's sword weapon, her stance ready and her mind focused. Asuka charged head on and with a powerful swing of the blade, took the demons feet out from under it. The 08 rose up its blade and attempted to impale the demon upon it but with lightning speed the demon caught the weapon in its hands and threw Asuka aside with its unhindered physical prowess. Suddenly the demon turned and looked at the 03, sensing it was readying itself for another assault. With a devastating punch to the head, the demon knocked 03 out of its path and charged Asuka. But in the demons anger, it didn't notice Shinji's volley of gunfire that tore through the monsters flesh like a hot knife through butter. The monstrous entity, still spurting blood from its woundeds, arched back and extended it arm out to pull 01 face to face with the its glowing eyes. The demon, now on the ground with 01 by the throat, expanded it AT field and now had Shinji in suspended motion. But 03 pushed Shinji's EVA out of the field as the demon emitted huge beams of power from its eyes, now sailing off into the sky above. Shinji pulled EVA 01 too and saw himself, 08 and 03 had surrounded the demon. Suddenly from the skies above, a small fighter jet flew into the silent warriors, the demon turning to see the minor annoyance. There, in the jet, was Tyr, his eyes aglow and the plate of Adam shining through his flight suite.  
  
"DEMON! I COMMAND THEE TO SUBMIT!" Tyr screamed aloud, a thunderous echo in his voice through the jest cockpit, which was piloted by Aki, her long hair out of place beneath a flight helmet. The demon roared with what could have been laughter, until Tyr's chest emitted a massive beam of lightning that encircled the demons face and head, changing his thoughts. Tyr eyes were slowing a brilliant white, a color so radiant the EVA pilots noticed it from atop their Evangelion units. Tyr somehow increased the beams strength as the demon still roared in pain. Then as if being manipulated by an unseen hand, the demon began to fall to its knees, it wings now lowered, its head bowed. The demon seemed to be reeling in agony as Tyr then increased the beams power further. Asuka, seeing this as her change, charged the now defenseless demon. But as her fist flew at its target, a blue AT Field expanded around the creatures form.  
  
"YOU WILL NIT HARM THE DEMON SHOYU!" Tyr screamed as he threw the 08 into the trees with a mere gesture of his mind. That was when Yui came over the comm. system of the Evangelions units and the jet  
  
"Aki you crazy fool. What evil have you wrought here with you?" Yui screamed  
  
"No evil Yui, rather, a savior. You see! He has the power to tame demons with his thoughts!"  
  
"Aki you maniac! You have used the Crest of Adam in a human body! The crest was supposed to go into the Lance. NOW YOU MAY HAVE CREATED AN EVIL WORSE THAN THE DEMONS! YOU MAY HAVE CREATED A MAN-GOD!"  
  
"Is that not what the Evangelions are, Yui?"  
  
"NO! They were modeled after a god being to be tools for mankind, true, but they are far from the horrors you have brought with you here today! Shinji, destroy the plane NOW!"  
  
Shinji hesitated for a minute. "WHAT!" he cried.  
  
"I hate to make you Shinji but Tyr has been implanted with an ancient disk said to grant the powers of heaven. Unless used in the Longinus Lance it will transform its victim into a god being of malevolent power. Whole empires have been laid to waste by the usage of that disk, and Tyr has become one with it now! He must be destroyed! DESTROY OUR ENEMY!"  
  
Shinji screamed in anger and disgust.  
  
"NO. You're just like my father! How could you make me do such a thing!" Yui began to weep as she was forced to plead with her son to kill their now mutual enemy.  
  
"Fine Shinji. Its ok. Aki, what do you want us to do. Bend to LEGIONS will?"  
  
"You, Yui, will do nothing. Ritsuko will be everything for me!" Aki smiled as she pulled out a remote control and pressed a key sequence. Within NERV, horror erupted as all the computers began to be re-formatted and new data was uploaded. Deep within Central Dogma, Ritsuko hovered in her LCL barrier, encoding and d decoding all the files of the MAGI via her new supercomputer brain, the work of Dr. Aki. Ritsukos voice then came in over the loudspeakers of NERV, her once lively tone now devoid of feeling.  
  
"Attention all NERV personnel. The NERV facility, The GeoFront, and Tokyo3 are all under the custody of LEGION. Any resistance will be dealt with accordingly."  
  
"How?" asked Maya shocked to hear her teacher speaking in such a monstrous and now traitorous tone. Suddenly the monitors switched to the EVA's. It was then the new dummy plug system began to override the pilot's controls. One by one the Evangelions stood up and bowed alongside the demon.  
  
"I now control the MAGI and the Evangelions, along with the automated defense systems installed throughout the facility. Any questions" Aki said, a smugness in her voice.  
  
"We will never bow to you Aki, or your masters at LEGION!"  
  
"You fool! LEGION is under my will now as well! Together, let us user in a new age of darkness over the world through EVA. When the planet acknowledges our power we will be able to truly be gods! We would have the power to damn our enemies through the use of Tyr here and his crest of Adam. Yui, you and I, along with Dr. Ritsuko: we will shape a new world with our own hands. Don't think of this as a take over, merely a, changing of the guard. Besides, SEELE is now too weak to stop any of us and LEGION is far to cowardly to assault us. NOW BOW!" Aki smiled as she turned the EVANGELIONS upon one another with a keystroke of her laptop. Yui looked on in horror as the Eva's began to fight with savage bitterness and ferocity.  
  
"STOP! Don't make them suffer Aki. I submit, I will bow!" Yui cried out, hot tears running down her face as she still saw Shinji begin to be mauled apart by 03 and 08. As if she had just signed away her soul, Yui dropped on her knees, with everyone else doing the same, even Gendo. Damien and Helen were watching from the outside, as they were arriving form a mission in Germany. Damien shook his head sadly. "Poor Shinji. I told him to be strong and now he is making Aki's sick plan a reality"  
  
"What plan Damien? ASIER?"  
  
"Nothing so elaborate as that.A precursor. ASIER is an operation to ascend the souls of LEGION into the heavens while the souls of the damned, the dead, the demons and the angels, form a powerful instrument of damnation that LEGION would use to annihilate the lord himself. Now she has the means of begin ASIER with Tyr. He has betrayed his neutrality and chosen the camp of the dark one himself. Now we must do the will of Aki, not Yui. She would have been our only hope."  
  
"You new of all this! Why didn't you say anything!"  
  
"It is not my place to argue with fate. Do you think Aki or Tyr would have been stopped if it were this moment to be their destiny!? Don't delude yourself. The camp of Zion is captured and the camp of evil here stands, with Tyr and their Goliath and Aki as their commander."  
  
"As I recall, the great Goliath was slain by the lowest of beings in Jerusalem, a Sheppard Boy."  
  
"I see none around. Only Tyr with his crest and Aki with her demonic servant."  
  
"But I thought the demons had to be destroyed in order for the ascention of anybody to begin?"  
  
"Aki sees no harm in using the demon as her plaything before destroying it. The EVA's will probably use a dummy plug system now. With the 02 having been replaced and Yui no longer inn the 01, the dominant souls of the EVA's will become slaves. Slaves to LEGION. Aki many even attempt to take in the demons data and apply it to the new 07 unit. Personally I can't wait to see what will happen."  
  
"YOU WHAT! How can you say such a thing?"  
  
"LEGION, NERV, SEELE, Aki: any who has the power will be my employer. I have no problems working for anyone but I would have liked it more if Shinji would have been able to initiate ASIER. Oh well. The end result will still be the same." Helen, now in a rage, grabbed Damien by the coat and shook him violently.  
  
"WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? DAMN YOU BROTHER, what is the outcome of ASIER!!!" Damien smiled as Helen became hysterical  
  
"My dear baby sister you have nothing to worry about. These small factions of men all seek the power of the Evangelion but I suppose it is in our best interests that Aki runs the operation, given her experience with how it works."  
  
"Now what do you mean?"  
  
"The DAUGHTERS OF INVALDI were the first "test" subjects of the ASIER theorems. Aki used a new method of syncing up with the Eva's and used it on the scientists. One by one the evangelions souls were modified by the data of the designers, but left the bodies...useless. Our parents are inside our evangelions, as it was meant to be in the begging. You, me, Tyr and Aki are all parts to one magnificent whole. ASIER. ASIER is nothing more than an advanced version of instrumentality, but IT has a purpose. The power to destroy God himself. Listen to me Helen: alone man is a weak and feral creature, incapable of wielding might at the level of a god. But the EVA, two souls in motion, can defeat an angel, even a demon. Now think, think of what all the souls in existence could do to the almighty if it were formed into a weapon of immense power! Mankind would rule life itself, death and rebirth would be our playthings!" Helen was now still with sadness, her face grim.  
  
"Very well. I will go with you then, If Aki wants to wipeout heaven, let her do it. But know this Damien. I will send her soul spiraling into the underworld when it is over. For the sake of my mother, my REAL mother. Will you try and stop me?" Damien nodded in a "no" response.  
  
"I agree. You, Tyr, and I are the masters here. But...the other pilots should have a place in the grand order as well. Hopefully they will join with us when ASIER begins."  
  
"How dose ASIER begin?"  
  
"When the three pillars of heaven and the three pillars of man gather round the Longinus lance in a certain way, and once certain conditions are meet, the one who possesses the Lance will have to make a choice. If the user so desires, he can liberate only one soul or many. But the power of a cosmic deity is a powerful one, as the beam of rapture uncontained could burn away the Earth in a massive hellfire or even open the gates of the underworld, loseing all the demons of hell upon the world to reign for 2,000 years. That is what LEGION wants. They seek the return of their master, the dark one himself. Aki seems to be using them by way of Tyr. But if she goes too far, if she doesn't play her cards right, LEGION could acquire her authority and open the gates of Hades. You see, they are the fallen angels that were cast out of heaven, as is SEELE. The goals of both SEELE and LEGION are the same: re-enter paradise. However each one posses a danger to us all. If SEELE gets to re-enter heaven than mankind could be judged accordingly to our actions thus far and go our separate ways, the worlds end. LEGION would re-enter heaven to tear it down, beginning another war in heaven, and Earth would become a demonic garrison"  
  
"The Eva pilots would never go along with it! I never would go along with it if it meant damning the human race to a life of demon servitude!"  
  
"Sister you must understand. I wont allow that to happen and neither will Shinji. For now we are safe. But if LEGION found the right pressure point to squeeze on Shinji, he could submit. LEGION however is not the main issue here. Aki now has awakened the powers of Adam's crest within Tyr. At the moment she seems to be in control of his rage. That could however be her undoing."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Within Tyr lies the Crest of Adam, the power to open various levels of power. Now he is using the power of mankind, the power of slavery and hate, to fulfill Aki's goals, whatever they may be, but if Tyr ever gets the chance, he would kill Aki in a heartbeat, no questions asked. If that happens though, he would be loose on the world with the power of a man-god. He could even try to open the heavenly gates himself although without the Eva's to control the power-" Damien trailed off  
  
"What would happen?"  
  
"The souls of man would float into an endless limbo, without knowing the fires of hell, the pleasures of heaven, or the existence of living. We would be like Tyr: in a never ending limbo of space-time."  
  
Shinji was in pain as he saw the other EVA's regain their control over themselves, no longer a slave to this DP system Shinji sneered as he took command of his EVA and with one powerful swat, expanded his AT Field and send the small hover jet flying into a spiral. Tyr then glowed in anger as he used his mind to slow the Jets out of control flight and suspend itself back in the sky  
  
"Good work Tyr! Now use the power you have awakened and kill Shinji Ikari!" Aki whispered, Tyr still standing in his seat through the open cockpit.  
  
"No."  
  
"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU!"  
  
"I may be doing your will but I am not your doll. I may have other plans for the Evangelions thus I am the one using YOU Dr. But for now, assume you have the power here. Just wait and see what will happen. I however know you need the Eva pilots alive as the ASIER will not begin without seven souls. You need me as well so I am in no danger of being destroyed." Tyr smiled nefariously as he looked back upon NERV  
  
"Very well Tyr. You may think I need you but that problem may soon be rectified."  
  
"You mean Eva 7?" Aki gasped in aghast as she realized Tyr knew her intentions.  
  
"I know about the 07 model Dr and we will see what happens once you get inside NERV. I may not be around to protect you from the people you just betrayed. However, if I turn you in as a show of good gesture than maybe I will be in control!" Tyr sneered as he unleashed a powerful force in Aki's head, his plates glowing in power. As Aki collapsed, Tyr smiled. How long he had wanted to do that. Tyr then lowered the plane onto the ground and collapsed.  
  
Within NERV, all the controls resumed their normal functions as Dr. Akagi's voice resonated throughout NERV.  
  
"Tyr has subdued the traitor Aki as according to our plans. Yui, you are once again in control of this base and legions spy is uncovered. You also have the third demon in your custody to do with what you will. Yui grabbed the microphone from Maya as the demon slowly began to stagger up.  
  
"SHINJI DESTROY IT NOW!" Yui screamed. 01 blazed to full power as it took hold of Asuka's sword and beheaded the demon in a fireball of green flames, the blood now everywhere, but mostly over 01. NERV police swarmed around the unconscious Aki and took Tyr into a protective custody ward of the hospital. Aki was sent to a special medical room that was monitored 24-7. As the EVAs were relocated back inside the GeoFront, the pilots were greeted by Yui.  
  
"I have some explaining to do. I knew about Ritsuko's incorporation to the MAGI. Last week she approached me and signed herself up to undergo an experiment with Dr. Aki, to become a mole in her campaign. Damien and Helen were simply following their orders as Aki gave them while as to weather or not they knew it was the right thing to do remains a mystery. They will not be punished for Aki's treachery and betrayal. As for Tyr, his crest is going to be surgically removed."  
  
"What will be done with it." said Rei  
  
"It will be reincorporated with the Longinus Lance as it should have been. Misato carried the mission out by informing everyone of the dr's intention, undermining her from the inside. Tyr was more than happy to have the pate removed; but only as long as he was allowed to continue being an Eva pilot. Risuko seems to be fine as the MAGI translator although she can be removed. Tyr's destruction of the SEELE shuttle was a fabrication to coax Aki into revealing herself although having Tyr go berserk and attempt to destroy his own father, for that, I can never forgive myself. The reason none of you were told was because it could ruin everything. Had any one of you known about what was going on, Aki could have sensed it and changed her agenda."  
  
Shinji looked on in amazement as he realized it was Tyr who had saved him in the surgery ward, when he found Dr. Akagi. The pilots were greeted also by Misato in a white yellow uniform, a SEELE symbol on it.  
  
"I GOT ANOTHER PRMOTION! I am now the leader of the NERV section 2 division. I will be handling all the police work here and abroad in the other NERV agencies!" Shinji smiled as Asuka hugged her newly uniformed friend.  
  
"But what of SEELE?" asked Toji. " I heard Keel was seriously injured in the planes explosion although everyone else got out alright."  
  
"Minor truth. Chairman Keel is in a hospital but not for anything serious. He has an amazing body capable of haling himself to virtually any degree. But while he is gone a man named Aetius will take over temporarily. We resume our functions tomorrow morning."  
  
  
  
Keel was livid with sheer rage, his arms waving so madly he almost tore out his IV tubing.  
  
"AETIUS IS IN CHARGE!" he screamed a t two men in red trench coats and black body armor, the SEELE seal upon their breasts and their eyes hidden by silver reflective visors.  
  
"That is correct. Your irresponsibility to inform the rest of the councils has resulted in your temporary removal at the head council sir. You are to be placed under house arrest while Lord Aetius resumes your responsibilities. But not to worry: he is well aware of the Eva and ASIER projects."  
  
"That monster will ruin everything. He intends of assuming my role as leader don't you understand. Oh its useless. Look at you, he's even got you in the outfits of the roman guard, he really has done it. The great Hun- lord Aetius has reassumed the role he took so many years ago. I pray for your souls, as well as my own." Keel said, his eyes closing to catch his breath. As the two-armed representatives left the room, a another man, a man in a white suite walked next to Keels bedside. As Keel looked up he knew at onec he was looking into the eyes of none other than the LEGION representative, Mr. Joshua Abraham.  
  
"What do you want with me you sniveling traitor!" Keel barked, his voice now horse and weak.  
  
"Who is the traitor here? Not I. You are the ones who betrayed legion Keel. You assumed command of my loyal comrades and decided to do the ascention process YOUR way. You thought you really could do it didn't you. Well now you have given SEELE and NERV over to my loyal agent. He would have accomplished his goals long ago if it not for Attila's foolish and stifling religious nature!"  
  
"Attila was smart and withdrew! Had you taken over then none of this, NERV, ASIER, EVA, or even LEGION would exist. Don't go blaming others for your mistakes though. Besides, I know you wont be manipulating SEELE for much longer." Mr. Abraham smiled as he walked out of the hospital room, a smile on his face.  
  
Yui overlooked the last of the EVA modifications and approved them all. Rei and her unit 00 were to be equipped with advanced hover gear and a powerful sniper riffle. Unit 01 would be outfitted with an advanced accuracy weapon and eye upgrade, increasing Shinji's abilities by nearly 30%. Asuka's now 70% completed 02 would have a broader range of weaponry as well as a left arm cannon that was fueled by a new beam energy projector which would however, draw from her battery. The 03 was to be given a powerful wide range AT FIELD generator that could encompass another EVA therefore doubling its defenses against enemies with projectiles or hand to hand weaponry. It theoretically could even aid in the pilots mental resistance. The 04, 05 and 06 would remain the same while the 08 was equipped with a set of powerful chain guns designed to provide immense cover fire. As for the 07 it had just arrived and required a preeminent pilot, one from whom its data would be modified. The 07 was a permanent addition to the pilots mind as well, linking their abilities in combat. Whoever took command of the 07, took control of the EVAS, as that person would become the new team leader from then on out. Meanwhile she looked at the metal plate next to her, having just received it from the successful surgery on the 5th child. Tyr was recovering at a steady pace while Aki remained in the guarded medical ward. It was then her phone rang with news that would change the situation entirely. Apparently the UN and SEELE, under the command of the new leader Aetius, had announced an armed guard would be sent into NERV to take matters into their own hands, with Yui as Aetius's advisor. "Out with one coupe, in with another." Yui sighed as she hung up the phone. Overhead, dozens of red and black fighter jest soared thought he air as the day ended, giving way to night.  
  
  
  
Tyr sat on his hospital bed looking over the huge scar that now covered his chest. As he looked upon himself the phone next to his bed rang. He picked it up and nearly crushed the phone when he heard Keel on the other line.  
  
"Hello Tyr." Keel said, his voce shaken and weak  
  
"Hello Chairman."  
  
"Oh come now Tyr don't be that way. I have told you how sorry I was many times and I want to try and make it up to you somehow."  
  
"You can start by leaving me alone. Count yourself lucky your alive after my actions. Personally I would have hoped I could have actually killed you."  
  
"It pains me to hear you say that Tyr, it really dose. I am expecting great things from you son."  
  
"Too bad the feeling doesn't apply for you. I hate you." Tyr said as he threw the phone across the room. 


	15. The Last Hun and The Last Roman

Chapter 13: The Last Hun and The Last Roman  
  
Aetius sat at the long NERV conference hall where so many things had been happening of late. At his side were the infamous "Red Guard of Jehovah", a sect of bodyguards so loyal they only did things when commanded to by their employer, thus, they were Aetius's shadow. Aetuis was a very middle-aged man, abut his 60's or so with long black brown hair tied back into a topknot and a very long body robe over his form, rumored to be covered by the scars of violent wars. The "Red Jehovah" as the guards were nicknamed, left the room while Yui and Gendo, along with Misao and Fuyutsuki, sat to discuss the terms and conditions of this "occupation". The cunningly intelligent Aetius smiled as Yui spoke up, a sign she was unafraid of his authority.  
  
"Mr. Aetius why is it you have come here?" Aetius placed his black-gloved hands into a triangular formation as he breathed in a deep breath of air.  
  
"Mrs. Ikari SEELE is a weak and dieing assembly of old men. I know how undefended this establishment has become and thus I wanted to personally oversee the aspects of the ASIER project." By now Yui had become very upset as to the mention of ASIER by this outsider, and a very overconfident one at that. Yui held her tongue behind a false smile as Aetius rose from his chair and pulled Yui aside, to speak with her in the secondary room while his assistant, a man named Dass, lectured the other on the importance of military foundations within NERV's social structure. Now in the quiet isolation of the empty room Yui and Aetius sat, both of their eyes interlocked. "Yui Ikari I now what you are planning."  
  
"Really? I didn't think it was so easy to read a schedule outline."  
  
"Not the official plan. I am fully aware of your intentions to ascend SEELE via the ASIER project but then turn the ray off and grant humanity another two millennium on this planet when SEELE specifically told you the second phase was to be initiated. You know the one I mean. The Mass Completion"  
  
"I fully intend to go through with the MC Project but she is still very unstable and it could destroy us all if done incorrectly. You must understand the way the scrolls instructed us to do these pathways were very poorly translated, by Keel I believe, and as such, there is still an unaccounted amount of information."  
  
"What is their not to understand? Three pillars, Three Channelers, One Spiritual Support, and The Key-Holder. These things together will open the doorway to Zion and emit the Rapture ray. Once SEELE has been ascended you are to gather humanity into the vessel and compete the process of instrumentality via the rays power and then from there they will be judged accordingly. A fitting and peaceful end to this miserable existence don't you agree, No war, no violence, no death. Simply a smooth transition into the next world."  
  
"You are wrong. Mankind should not be written off as doomed right away. We are an amazing species and as such deserve another two millennia to prove ourselves. That is why the demons would try and destroy the evnagelions. They too know we are close to attaining the goal of both angel and demon alike: an equality with god."  
  
Aetius smiled as he tossed a file over too her position. Inside was a picture of the villainous Mr. Abraham. "He is the reason SEELE exists. To prevent a thing like him and his followers from attaining Zion, thus preventing a second heavenly war. This man has the potential to become the second Satan himself."  
  
"Mr. Joshua Abraham. Current leader and representative for the LEGION faction. He will be dealt with soon enough, don't you worry. As of tomorrow we will begin a new operation: A full assault on the LEGIONs base in Rome. Our spies within the LEGION organization have just sent us the schematics for their southern wing. Here is what we found." Aetius was suspicious as Yui pulled her own file out of her briefcase and handed it to him. On the black and white picture was a creature that looked almost identical to an Evangelion.  
  
"How did this happen!" Aetius shouted, his temper now a raging inferno and Yui took her picture back.  
  
"Dr. Aki Nagawa was illegally funding and sending them supplies and details on how to construct an Evagelion. According to our informants the EVA is to put online tomorrow night. That is when all operational Evangelion will be launched using the new 72 hour battery system. They will assault key points in the base and capture the LEGION-EVA, condemned The Balder. The reason I ask why you are here is because for this operation to go off without a hitch, I will need full control of the forces here without any second level clearance garbage." Aetius smiled as he pulled out her level one clearance card and threw it to Yui.  
  
"I trust you will keep up the good work?" he said as Yui smiled.  
  
"I shall strive to do my best."  
  
Shinji and Asuka were sitting beneath a tree in the new park district as the sun began to rise over the city, its golden rays illuminating everything like a yellow bathe. In the light Asuka's hair seemed to glow and her eyes placed against the sun itself. Shinji gulped hard as he didn't know how to act around her when sje looked that way, so,..beautiful. Asuka sensed how she was making him feel and liked it. She enjoyed it almost as much as she lent in and with all the fiber in her being, kissed him. Shinji fell backward in joy and shock as Asuka withdrew the kiss and looked into his eyes with her own.  
  
"Shinji."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Never mind you big mega-dork" Asuka said happily as she kissed him again. Shinji was in rapture as they simply enjoyed one another's company, kissing as the morning went on.  
  
  
  
Aetius'es small personal plane was yell out of NERV's jamming raar when he pulled out his cellular phone and dialed a number.  
  
"Hello, Abraham?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Yui is still in charge of the complex for now since their their not enough reasons to really attain control given the fact that Aki is now in SEELE's custody and all. They know of Balder."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"YOU WHAT!" Aetius shouted in anger  
  
"I was the one who "leaked" the plans you fool. Their informants were executed weeks ago. When their pathetic band arrives to destroy LEGION, they will find the Balder is more than enough for them all. If we can attain a working pilot from the chaos we would also not have to bother with a world wide search."  
  
"And Keel?"  
  
"Consider the old fool as good as dead. By dawn tomorrow SEELE will become reunited with LEGION." With those words, Aetius hung up his phone and looked out over the skies. He knew Abraham was going about the operation the wrong way and as such, must be destroyed.  
  
  
  
Helen was busy working in C.D., mainly trying to improve on Dr. Akagie's computer functions, when Damien and Tyr entered.  
  
"Is she online?" asked Tyr coldly.  
  
"No. She has been deactivated for her rest-cycle."  
  
"Good work then sister." Said Damien  
  
"What is it?" Helen said, her voice now bordering on the suspicious.  
  
"Its Aki. It would seem she has been taken into SEELE custody and is to be transported to New York by next week." Said Tyr  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"So, what are we going to do"  
  
"Do?" snapped Helen.  
  
"Yes, do, Helen. We can't simply wait for those old men to condemn Aki. She is ours to destroy." Said Tyr.  
  
"Oh Tyr calm down, its not like that at all. We need to find out where Aki's old laboratory is located."  
  
"Why should we need to do that?" asked Tyr  
  
"Because she has some very interesting information that may benefit us all. On her main hard drives she has all the instructions on the ASIER. If we get a hold of those files we can obtain the lance of longinus and reign over this world ourselves. While Aki had the crest within Tyr we had no choice but to bend to her will. Now she is weak and alone, free of being able to do anything to anyone us. I want the power she spent 16 years bragging about. I want to rule this pathetic planet like she wanted too do. But our reign will be absolute. Adults have the guise of power but it is us, the younger generation, who will lay out their destinies. I say be take what is rightfully ours: the very universe itself. With the other EVA pilots we could master heaven, enslave hell, and become gods over men."  
  
"You've been poisoned by Aki's madness Damien." Tyr snapped  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. Aki wanted to use you as a channel for an ancient but lethal power. She would have manipulated NERV and LEGION, the pilots, US! I don't want to use anybody unless there is a reward at the end, not the cold death LEGION wants, nor the futile mass completion SEELE dreams of. Both those ends are useless to the likes of us.. I simply want these cycles of betrayals to cease with the heralding of a new mankind: our mankind."  
  
"That kind of thinking is what lead Aki to destroy our parents! You will simply become somebody else's pawn, like how Tyr betrayed her! Don't make us have to someday betray you brother."  
  
"Than what would YOU have us do Helen."  
  
"See what LEGION is up to. If they do indeed have an evangelion unit than it would be in the best interests of all to annihilate it where it was born. Once the other EVA is destroyed we can focus on hoe the ASIER data will be used. Yui is the one who should do it, as NERV seems to be the only one thinking of mankind's future."  
  
"I agree with you their sister. Yui and her pilots are the ones who should lead ASIER. However WE should be the ones to reap the benefits. After all, we are the giants who would change the world am I right? We were made for the battlefields and that is where we must go. LEGION will succumb to our might, then the UN, then even the almighty himself!"  
  
"Damien have you gone mad. How do you plan on activating the powers of ASIER if Yui is the one wielding the EVA's. She will have to make Shinji the lance bearer and we will all enter another two millennia on the barren dust ball of a world."  
  
"Besides with this Aetius person in command of SEELE, Yui may not be the one who summons up the divine powers. If LEGION or SEELE force their hand upon us me may have no choice but to do their bidding. And with the crest gone from my chest I will be unable to hold any "intimidation" over NERV."  
  
"Wrong Tyr. I have a plan. Once I get the ASIER data notes, Helen here will be able to hack into Dr. Akagi and activate the Dummy Plug ZERO system, giving US control of the evangelions. It is simply a matter of knowing how and when to implement the plan. Helen, do I have your support?" Helen looked puzzled as Tyr simply sat back against a stool and watched for her reply, knowing full well he would follow her to the ends of the earth, whatever she chose.  
  
"We'll see. I simply want to be sure we are doing the right thing. Once I know our options in the ASIER theorems and what effects it will have on the planet, Ill look at helping you out. But Rei, Shinji, Asuka and Toji are to know nothing of this do you understand?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"Good. Now as for LEGION, Yui says we are to begin the assault as of tomorrow night. Their base in Rome is to be torn open, exposing the experimental EVA unit. If they have a functional evangelion it is to be destroyed."  
  
"Who is to pilot the 07 unit? Will it be Shinji?"  
  
"I don't know. But who ever pilots that evangelion will be a powerful force indeed. Rumors say the 07 system is so advanced it can quadruple your sync ratio!"  
  
"You lie!"  
  
"I do not. The 07 arrived a few days ago but is still in cryo-stasis. It may be activated in time for the assault on LEGION."  
  
  
  
Shinji count stand it stand more. Ikari was enveloped in a blanket of warmth and happiness to unimaginably amazing to believe, so much so, he had to get some air. Shinji was sitting next to Asuka on their small couch when he suddenly shot out into the air and stretched his muscles. They had been busy watching horror films for almost five hours (something Asuka thought Shinji had planned out) when Asuka pulled him back down to her level, their eyes locking and their lips intermingling with one another. Asuka then felt Shinji's warm hand on her hip and she responded with her own palm oh his shoulder. As Shinji began to undo her shirt buttons when Misato walked in and dropped her groceries all over the floor, her arms having gone limp with shock, her mouth hanging open. There was complete silence except for the sound of a tuna can rolling on the smooth floor title. Shinji blushed like a raspberry while Asuka smiled, got up and walked outside.  
  
"But you and, but I thought, and, but...her hand..YOUR HAND, I jus-" Misato fainted. Shinji looked at her unconscious body, shrugged, and went out to find Asuka who was laughing her ass of at the base of their complex elevator.  
  
"DID YOU SEE MISATO'S FACE!" she roared while Shinji simply smiled, thankful to see Asuka was happy again. Asuka then stopped laughing and looked at Shinji, drawing him close to her, a long passionate kiss ensuring. Then, slowly, Asuka could feel Shinji's tongue explore her lips and then her own tongue responded, a melody of passion and feeling resonating throughout both their bodies. Asuka broke off the kiss, a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Shinji." She began  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why..do you do thee things with me? Last year you couldn't stand me and now here you-" She was cur off by Shinji resuming his long kiss where they had left off. Asuka then knew it would be futile to ask Shinji that question since she already knew the answer. He loved her because she was who she was, Asuka Langley Shoyu, not the pilot f unit 2, not her others doll, now a loud version of wondergirl: she was herself, just like he was his own person. Somehow that knowledge filled her soul with a fire that resonated in their kiss. A kiss Asuka hoped would never end.  
  
Aetius was looking into the eyes of death. Keel Lorenz was indeed old as many claimed, but this was beyond measure. Now a feeble old shell of his former self, Aetius knew Lorenz couldn't survive the coming years without being damned for his crimes against heaven. Aetius adjusted his video monitors resolution, increasing the worn look on the old mans face  
  
"Aetius, I want you to relinquish all control of NERV back to me at once. My medical trials are over and I am sorry to not have involved you and the other councils in the mole hunt but it was imperative Aki be exposed!" Aetius smiled a long and thin smile, his eyes aglow with pleasure at seeing great Keel Lorenz, ruler of the high SEELE council, demanding for his power back from his mortal, well maybe not mortal, enemy.  
  
"Keel, on the advise of the other members, you have been overruled and are now expelled from the SEELE committee!"  
  
"You fool. I was the one who culled SEELE from the LEGION hordes and made them powerful, this is how they repay me?"  
  
"Calm down Keel. The others feel a new leader is needed, one who will not falter in the way of the enemies religious powers, one who is not afraid to lead, and one who will stand form at the end. You don't even look as if you can stand without assistance."  
  
"Damn you Aetius. The Hun campaign ended, LEGION is a memory of what it once was! Let its memory die with Attila. I know you and he have a new evangelion in the works but not to worry. Yui will soon bring death to you all!"  
  
"It is true LEGON found its greatest master in Attila, because it was he who massed our numbers from the slopes of Nod, rallied us high and lead us into the battle against our REAL foes, not the petty Chinese. The empires of the west would have fallen if it was not for Attila's foolish religious nature. The scenario is repeating itself Keel. We are no longer the young men we one were and Raphael is no longer here to guide you, you cursed Jew! Face it, NERV belongs to LEGION now. When they move in to overtake the LLEGION base in Rome they will find we have some surprises in store, enough to guarantee our victory over this planet. WAKE UP keel, you made a bid for power and lost dearly. Aki is soon to be released by SEELE and the ASIER program will be back on track. You and SEELE are but a bump in the road to us." Keel had calmed his temper down when he uttered the words to Aetius that made his blood boil with rage.  
  
"Don't worry about Mr. Abraham. I am sure his flight will take him where he needed to go, but not where he expected. The fires of hell must have been awaiting him for a long while."  
  
"You could not have possibly killed him!"  
  
"Oh yes I have. His plane exploded over Africa this morning. I am sure the next LEGION representative will be as "understanding " to your little personal crusades with NERV and SEELE like Abraham was. The small civil war in the legion system won't last long but it will be enough to destroy your seat of power and get SEELE in control of NERV again. As for Aki being released, well, I suppose it wouldnt be in your best interests to keep her since it was SHE who stole the schematics for the BAULDER and incorporated it into the 07. But I am sure you knew all that, as you ARE the mighty Hun general who successfully vanquished a thousand roman soldiers under MY command so long ago. You must still be in control after all, right?"  
  
"You are the one who is a fool Lorenz. LEGION will survive and I will se to it you are alive long enough o whiteness the damnation of all creation before your light is snuffed out by our dark lord! You, Yui, the pilots, even the almighty evangelion, pale in comparison to his might. He is about to unleash the 4th upon you so beware!" With hat, Aetius clicked off the video monitors, unable to see or hear Kell's echoing laughter. Aetius was outraged, not by Abraham's death at Keels hands, but more at the fact that it was not he who got to do it. As for Keels scenario of defeat, it would workout more to LEGIONs advantage that that of SEELE...  
  
  
  
"SHE WHAT!" Tyr screamed as he looked into Damien's angry eyes.  
  
"Yes I know. Dr. Aki was released from custody by the orders of Aetius himself. She is going to report back her tomorrow tonight."  
  
"But that will be during the assault on LEGION! Who will be leading the assault Yui?"  
  
"Dr. Akagi has opted to sync up the attack via her uplink with the GPS and MAGI satellites. I agree with her thoughts on the matter of Aki as well though: she is to be destroyed. Once Helen gets the information from her mind while she is unlinked with dr. Akagi, you Tyr, will do the rest."  
  
"How do you know she will be unlinked with Akagi?"  
  
"She will be furious with the three of us and will try to sabotage the attack in LEGIONs favor, probably so she can get back in their good graces. To get full control over the EVA's she will have to obtain physical access into dr. Akagis mind via a neural transmitter. Since the battle roster will contain our names, she will think we are at the battlefield when in reality we will use Helens skills to rip the data from her mind and then once fished, you may do with her what you will while Dr. Akagi is offline. Then we will decide what to do with the information. But this much is true: Aki won't survive the night.  
  
Rei tossed and turned in her bed, her thoughts ominous and grim, a deep shadow moveing across her mind, a specter of evil in her thoughts. The figure was tall, his eyes blank. Behind him whirled a graet sea of fire, and a voice spoke: YOU ARE ONE OF THREE AYANAMI. BEWARE THE SECOND. Rei snapped out of her dream, a cold swet uppn he body. Rei looked into the mirror when suddenly a knock came on he door. Rei put on a robe and answered her door, a bit surprised to see Helen. "Hello." She began  
  
"Rei an I come in for a second?"  
  
"Of course." She said quietly as usual but with a hint of happiness at his arrival.  
  
"Rei, I wanted to ask you about..Lilith. It may seem bizarre but do you ever sense anything, ya know, subconsciously, about any of the new pilots?"  
  
"Yes. The one named Damien seems to be a lingering presence in my mind, like he is my natural opposite. The aspect of myself that is Lilith, the part of me that is an angel, can sometimes sense the feelings and emotions of others in very odd ways. But the second child in Aki's team disturbs me,"  
  
"I think I know why. Rei, Dr. Aki was involved in something called operation DIVINE. I ran across the file in the MAGI computer banks as I was giving dr. Ritsuko a diagnostic check. It would seem there are three elements to DIVINE: Angel, Man, and Demon. The aspect of Man seems to be within Tyr, as he is a genetically advanced homosapien without emotions or cares, thus, the perfect example of mankind's neutrality towards good and evil. Then there is the angel. You Rei, are that aspect. Dr. Aki was the scientist who assisted dr. Ritsuko id constructing your DNA, giving you angelic traits like your eyes and the AT field you seem to be able to summon at times.. But there is a third aspect. The demon. It would seem my brother was taken at a very early age and spliced with mutated angel DNA, a demons blood. My brother, you, and Tyr are all parts of the ASIER project."  
  
"but I assumed ASIER was the usage of the Longinus Lance to ascend SEELE through the sue of 7 evangelions."  
  
"It is. But Aki wants to do more than simply open the gates of heaven. She was assigned by LEGION to intervene in the ascension and corrupt the powers of the lance, thereby opening up a doorway into the underworld, freeing the demon race. LEGION apparently wants the return of the fallen angels to heaven, making Earth a barren wasteland. But Aki seems to have something else in mind for the ASIER project. The files were deleted soon after I read them but I am positive that Damien and Aki have something of their own planed when the time to use the lance comes up. But until that happens Rei promise me you will not do anything to alert either Damien or Tyr."  
  
"I promise. Is it true Aki has been released by Aetius?  
  
"Unfortunately. She arrives tomorrow night on a 797 jet while we are all going to be assaulting LEGION fortress in Rome. I pray nothing goes wrong because having Aki loose in NERV is a disastrous gamble."  
  
LEGION was assembled before the figure of Aetius, his bodyguards adorned by ceremonial robes and body armor.  
  
"LEGION, today we begin a new operation. Abraham was a fol to trust Dr, Aki and in so doing, exposed our existence to Yui Ikari and Keel Lorenz. However he also gave us the perfect opportunity to snuff out the iffidels at NERV, Even now Aki is on her way to wreak her revenge on those who betrayed her and as it so happens, it will be right as the Evangelon a rrive here to try and destroy us. It is very ironic that by trying to re- win our favor, by halting the Evangelions here at the compund, that Dr. Aki will meet her demise. The eva pilot Damien has agreed to continue the operation under my command as it seems Yui knows nothing of my "alternate" associations. Once Aki stopps the evangelions she will be murderd. Legion will take the Evangelions and then attack NERV via Dr. Akis new dummy plug system, allowing us to use the evas without having to worry about pilots. But once NERV has been taken over, we will acquire the true pilots and the Lance. We will then give them an ultimatem: begin the asier ascention ot watch random cities across the world be vaporized by GILGAMESH, the new protoype  
  
AT-FIELD ray weapon currently in orbit around the planet. It will be fairly simple to begin the ascention and then, Damien will corrupt the circle with his demon lineage and re-open the fires of hell. The days of using men to our advantage, like the days of Attila and his Hun armies, are over. Mankind has deliverd the too of their own damnation to us and I look foreward to delivering the results my master desires."  
  
"What of Lorenz?"  
  
"Ah yes, keel. His fate is to be sealed by my hand, at my own discresion. Since we do need him for the foos at NERV to co-operate his life is spared by anger. But as for the rest of SEELE, consider then dead.  
  
"Why do we need Keel for the ascension?"  
  
"Because we will make it seem as if LEGION was "defeated" by the UN armies, which will actually be our own troops, before the actual section begins, giving Keel the opportunity to fulfill his foolish little mission. The EVA pilots, thinking everything is "OK" wont notice out mobile armor units training their cross hairs on Keel, who will then be shot down only a few miles away from paradise. That is the cue for Damien to do his part in the battle. Then LEGION will be in command once more, of both the earth, and Zion."  
  
"What of the BAULDER then? Why have we been constructing Evangelions if the whole plan is going to give us all the eva's we need?"  
  
"Because life has a way of giving you unexpected little surprises. No need to be unprepared. If LEGION is thwarted we will still have the EVA prototypes and the Balder on which to build again."  
  
  
  
Asuka looked in the mirror and was filled with a giddy sense of joy. On her body was the most beautiful red and yellow gown she had ever bought, something she hoped Shinji would like. Tonight was to be their first date. It was also about the time the 797 jet left SEELE's prison ward in the Juhi district and was now bound for NERV, a vengeful Dr. Aki in tow. 


	16. BOOK 2 OVERVIEW

BOOK 2 OVERVIEW:  
  
**COMING SOON** 


	17. return of the Dragon

Chapter 14: Conclusion to Book 2, "Return of the Dragon".  
  
AUTHORS NOTES: This is the rough, unedited, in-spell checked, un grammar corrected version of the story. Think of this as a "directors rough version". I put it on the web simply to get it off my computer since it's acting queerly. I plan on spell checking it very soon so please don't point that out in any reviews, not that I get any though. If you dare, read on but know that you have been warned!!! This concludes the very short book 2 in way for book 3. I hope you enjoy what I have planned for you and for the LOVE OF CHEESE; reviews about things not concerned with spelling or grammar help me out a lot. If you think the Plot sucks or is cool, tell me. If you think somebody id being to OOC, tell me. Please don't bother pointing out spelling because I am not a complete dumbass: I know I can't spell so I don't need any red flaming arrows telling me the same thing. But If you are going to bitch about my spelling than why don't you volunteer to pre-read my stuff111 How bout that smart guy! If you want to pre-read my work my email is MIKERYANH@MSN.COM and I am always open to criticism.  
  
Aetius smiled as he went over the assembly schedule for the coming evening. The EVA pilots were given the night off, as the entire morning that was soon coming would be dedicated to their assault on LEGION, or so they believed. Yui was busy coordinating the strike efforts with the UN delegates, who were to assist in the decisive attack, and was also too concerned with NERV's social matters to even notice the mass of soldiers occupying NERV in the guise of offshore UN garrison forces, who were in actuality, LEGION soldiers. Gendo Ikari, the shadowy reclusive and almost invisible figurehead of NERV, was also busy with Dr. Akagi in the bowls of Central Dogma. Since Yui was given official control of the facility, NERV was in a frantic hustle as their leader was bogged down by UN paperwork and to busy to manage all the tiny details of the coming operation. Aetius and his personal assistant, a tall woman named Guri, were in the main computer terminal as the video feeds from France revealed their operational forces were ready to deploy. As Aetius watched the video images of the large French commando team being sent in via amphibious transport, Guri handed him a phone.  
  
"Hello, Aetius. Yes. Excellent. Make sure her accommodations are ready." Aetius clicked off the phone and looked over at Guri, a wide smile on his visage. "Aki is here."  
  
Asuka shyly rang the doorbell on he own apartment, a sheepish look on her face. She knew it was idiotic to do so but she wanted everything to have a certain feel and it meant greeting her "date" at the door. Shinji, feeling just as awkward about the whole thing, opened the door and greeted Asuka, trying his best to hide a loud laugh at opening the door to his own roommate. As he slowly opened his lips to laugh the breath in his throat caught as he saw Asuka in front of him, the laugh trapping and turning into a deep and hearty hack, his face going red. Asuka bashed his head with the flowers in her hand, an explosion of petals resulting. As Asuka stood their, her face angry, her flowers ruined and her date having been thrashed, she laughed with Shinji in an uncontrollable unison. Shinji picked himself up and the two went to where their "driver" was waiting. Needless to say Misato was still in a sate of shock about the whole thing, having believed their feeling in the hospital were only mild spasms of hormones. As Misato left the NERV premise, she dropped the two pilots off at new movie hall, designed to be both dinner theater and movie house. Shinji pulled out a chair for Asuka and then sat down himself, the awkwardness of everything feeling like a clamp on his throat, Showing emotion to another person like Asuka was difficult, even more so if you added on the fact that it was a person he felt deeply for. The waiter, a young man no older that Shinji or Asuka approached them and handed them menus. Shinji opened his and scanned the list of items.  
  
"I think I will have the roast duck halve with plumb sauce." Shinji handed the boy back the menu and looked at Asuka who was about to hyperventilate over the prices of the extraordinarily rich food.  
  
"Yes, well. I think I will have the………Garlic Pork with the roasted potatoes." She sighed as she handed the waiter her menu. As she looked over at Shinji she didn't notice him secretly check his wallet, hoping the small 'loan" he took from Misato would cover everything.  
  
"Hey Shinji. Why is it your so sweet around me and Yui, even Misato, hell, Wonder gi…I mean Rei, yet everyone else cant even get a clear feeling out of you?"  
  
"I suppose its my mother and father. Ever since I was little, I lived with my teacher and my life was dull and boring. Emotions weren't very important to me, not like they are here. I suppose its just because you all are so needing of emotions I didn't know how to give them, especially since I never received any myself. But now that I know how you feel about me, Its not so difficult to show emotions to other like Misato, mother or Rei. The others tough, like Tyr, Damien and even Helen, confuse me. They seem like they're living in another house down the road and are none of my concern. I see them and I have no inclination to speak with them. Rei seems to get along with Helen though."  
  
"Yeah that Tyr kid certainly is a weird one. Say Shinji. I know we planned this whole thing out an all but, um. NERV is pretty empty. What d you say we…..  
  
"WHA! You and me, but I um…Hmgh!" Shinji then began to glow red until he saw Asuka's stern and disappointed face.  
  
"Not THAT you dumkoff! I meant that we should go and look into what the hell Tyr and these other pilots are up to! With all the NERV staff out in other military installations we can have free access to all sorts of files. Hell, we may even get to spy on Aki."  
  
"She's back already?" Asuka nodded in reply. "Why would they let her back?"  
  
"That's what I want to find out." Asuka got out of her chair and pushed it in, Shinji following up. They didn't even notice their drinks had arrived.  
  
  
  
Aki breathed in the sterilized NERV air and sneered slowly to herself. Why Aetius had gone to all the hustle of getting her back in NERV was a queer oddity. As she got off the plane she was greeted by several of Aetius'es personal bodyguards.  
  
"What's this? Yui afraid to see her herself?" Aki said sarcastically to one of the guardsmen.  
  
"Mrs. Will you please come with us. Mrs. Ikari is busy in council and Lord Aetius wished to see you in his chambers, immediately." Aki laughed a bit and pulled some hair from her face as she followed the five HEAVILY armed men. Within Aetius'es personal chambers Aki saw the interior was designed like an old world throne room, with actual antique torches and rare weaponry adorning the walls. The air in the room seemed alive with tension as Aetius turned in his revolving chair to face Aki, motioning his gauds to leave the rooms at once. As the guards left Aki reclined a bit and looked at Aetius for any signs of deception. "Why am I here?" Aki said upfrontly.  
  
"Because you still owe LEGION a service Dr. A service you failed to provide for Mr. Abraham. Since LEGION has begun to secretly integrate with NERV and the 4th demon remains unseen, as of yet, the plans we set out for you are going to have to increase accordingly."  
  
"So even after I tried to take NERV from you using Tyr you STILL want me to help you? That's very bizarre logic."  
  
"Maybe. I see it as getting things done. You see, tomorrow night NERV is going to try and take an experimental Evangelion from a LEGION assembly plant in Italy. The Eva was built with the plans you supplied us with. HOWEVER, this is not the real evangelion unit. The BAULDER is a decoy and the real unit is safely stowed away in an as of yet undisclosed location. When NERV attacks the false base, our soldiers will capture the evangelions and then NERV itself, as Yui and the staff will be busy on the dummy bases rebellion. The UN has no clue they are to lay a part in this plan as well. When NERV arrives at the base, LEGION soldiers in NERV uniforms will open fire on the UN troops. That will be our signal to capture NERV, making it look as if we prevented a violent assault on UN sovereignty AND stopping the LEGON menace."  
  
"A nice plan but it will never work. Even if you do get a hold of the evnagleion have you forgotten it will require seven willing souls to begin the ascension AND a being with angelic DNA. I guarantee the Rei girl would rather die than serve you and LEGION."  
  
"Not to worry. In a LEGION science laboratory we have succeeded in creating a 87% complete male version of the first child condemned RAY."  
  
"Dear god. How could you do such a thing!!"  
  
"The seventeenth angel, Kaworu Nagisa, was pulled from the LCL plant where he died. His body was reconstructed with the same LCL gene therapy that gave Yui her body. As for his loyalties he is to undergo the same training as Tyr and Damien. We will have the First Pillar soon enough."  
  
"What is all this for Aetius? What is LEGION's mission in all this?"  
  
"Since the great war in heaven, we, the fallen angles, were allied with the arc-angel turned zealot, Lucifer. But as we soon found he was unable to accomplish his goals through direct conflict with the almighty, thus, we were banished to this barren and frail plane of existence. The race of men however was easily fooled and we quickly established powerful empires based upon our heavenly origins, The Pyramid. Alas, all our Pyramid cultures were destroyed and we were pushed into the icy steppes of Mongolia. Their we waited for another opportunity to destroy the hope of this pathetic race called man and in so doing, rule over them. Then a warrior, of human birth, came to us. He was Attila, a being who was a powerful as Lucifer once was and just as zealous to prove himself in the eyes of others. We allowed him to lead us into battle with the western cultures and their "Christ". We were so close to victory as our hordes of warriors swept the planes of Asia, killing all as we went. But then Attila's fragility licked in as I knew it someday would. He had council with a Pope and pulled back from what could have been our crowning day of triumph. Then a small band of roman soldiers, lead by a man named Jossiahas Keel. Succeeded in scattering our kind once Attila fell to his death in sleep. We then were forced to completely disband. But then Keel was found to be, not roman, but Jewish. As it also turned out he was the legendary jew cursed with immortality, When his Roman comrades saw this he was disbanded from Rome and became a wanderer like us. We allowed him into our ranks and he soon proved to be an able leader. But then he turned on our ways an adopted to actually wanted to RETURN to Zion as he hated the immortal life almost as much as wed id. But to want to return to God was sheer foolishness. Then his madness went further! He poisoned some of the best LEGION generals into joining his pitiful band, SEELE, and they went rouge on us. We all laughed at his plans but soon saw they posed a plausible threat through the Evangelions. Now LEGION will use his tools of ascension and use them in reverse! I have found out the ascension process can be reversed and in actuality, damn mankind!"  
  
"The rest of this I know. Damien will be used to corrupt the other pillars and open a vortex into the underworld. But THEN what!!!"  
  
"I fall goes to plan the Fifth child will use the powers of the Third child and the Sixth to actually gather the souls of the living and dead together where they will be assembled into the form on the Beast who will then inhabit the firry body prepared for him. The wings of flame formed by 01 will give our fallen master his shape and the power of the 6th child will keep the souls of men him servitude, an unholy trinity of sorts. The other evangelions will be destroyed as the demon race will then reveal itself and use the Longinus Lance to actually break the gates of heaven open. Then The Beast will destroy the almighty and Earth will be a go-between for hell and Zion. We will have the universe in out grasp. But before any of this can begin Aki we will need you assistance. When the assault begin tomorrow you will remain here and then you are to go into Central Dogma and use a new piece of hardware to gain access to Dr. Akagie's mind as she will be linked with the magi at the time. While she has access to the automated forces on the battlefield you are to pull files on Rei from her memory and send then to LEGION. We seem to have hit a dead end in the RAY process and need the final steps to his completion. If you do this for us we will ensure your place of power in the coming days. Do you agree?"  
  
"I suppose. I didn't go through all this just to be put out at the end game process. I will help you but only if my "children" are made aware of my status within the scheme of things. After I tried to overthrow NERV they seem to see me as the emery."  
  
"You DID use Tyr like a puppet and attempted to destroy all who would oppose you. Why wouldn't they be angry with you?"  
  
" I simply wanted them to have power, power you seem to be wishing to deny them. They are as much your puppets as they were mine."  
  
"Your sense of sick devotion is touching but I still need a yes or no answer. But let me assure you your "children" will be allowed rites of power. Everything will be taken care of as long as you remain loyal!" Aki nodded in agreement and exited the room. Aetius knew she would try and betray them again but his plans called for her death. He picked up the phone and dialed in a number.  
  
"Hello. It's me. Yes, she is been made known of her agenda and she seems to be going along with the plan. Right. Eliminate her after you get what your after." Aetius clicked off the phone and found he was still smiling. How silly these things called emotions were.  
  
Gendo sat next to the still bed ridden keel, a file in his hands.  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" asked Gendo as he turned to face the withering Keel Lorenz.  
  
"Yes. It is. Please Gendo. I know we have seen on different views and we have tried to undermine one another. But we both know the agenda of Yui is the correct one to follow, not for our own sakes, but for the sakes of all. Aetius will destroy everything if he is not stopped. This plan will ensure his downfall."  
  
Gendo smiled as he pushed up his glasses. For once, he and Keel agreed.  
  
Shinji and Asuka were both clothed in normal street clothes, something not any had seen them in for a while, as they walked along the darkened halls of the lower laboratories within NERV's artificial evolution section, the place once devoted to the production of the dummy plug system, now obsolete with the DP ZERO system that used artificial nano-machines to control the evangelion, eliminating the need for a pilots in all but the most important situations. As Asuka looked in on the broken down lab rooms something caught her eyes in the form of a light, from a laptop. Asuka pulled Shinji aside and behind a set of file cabinets as a figure entered the room. It was Tyr. As Tyr entered the room his eyebrow cocked up and he sensed the area around him.  
  
"Asuka, Shinji, get out of there." He said calmly. Asuka and Shinji slowly walked out from behind the cabinets, their faces red with shock as to how quickly they were discovered.  
  
"What are you doing here." Said Tyr.  
  
"We could ask you the same thing Sixth child!" Asuka snapped. Tyr then recoiled with a powerful pooch to her face. Shinji, in a rage, landed a powerful punch to Tyr's chest. But as Tyr went to fall to the ground his leg kicked Shinji in the side of the head.  
  
"Do not refer to me as "Sixth Child" Shoyu or my next punch will do more damage. As for you pilot Ikari, never strike me again or I swear to you I will kill you."  
  
"Well if you don't want to be punched, don't EVER hit Asuka again you jerk!" Tyr remained silent for a moment and then helped Asuka up. "As much as I don't really want to I suppose I must apologize Asuka. I hit you out of anger and I should have not done so. I was down here trying to get some files of Aiyanami, files Aki intends to steal from dr. Akagi tomorrow."  
  
"During the attack? What are you going to do with the files?" asked Shinji  
  
"Infect them and re-incorporate them into the MAGI. I plan on stopping Dr. Aki during her unlicensed hack of the MAGI, which she plans of accomplishing tomorrow. She will also be prevented from causing harm to you pilots."  
  
"Harm?" said Asuka.  
  
"Aki is apparently still in LEGIONS service and intends to assist them in a crude project involving these plans. Once she gets them she will most likely initiate your evangelions elf destruct programs, wiping out you, LEGION, a good portion of the UN and any of her enemies. She is still foolish enough o believe we trust her with out lives."  
  
"How far do these betrayals run Tyr?"  
  
"Deeper than you or I would like. I plan on cutting of Aki at her source and then I will try and stop the LEGION forces here in NERV."  
  
"Here in NERV?"  
  
"Yes. The agenda LEGION has planed is for a revolution to be staged in order to take NERV from Yui and Gendo. Although they will not gain the files Aki was to send them it will merely slow their plans. I will then try and kill the man named Aetius, removing LEGION from the ASIER equation."  
  
"Tyr, what is Asier?"  
  
"A plan SEELE had tried to initiate but ultimately failed at. It was a plan to resurrect three Norse Demon-Children, the sons of Loki, and use then in accordance with the Longinus Lance and a Heavenly Being to gain independence form heaven and take ones place in heaven without the heavenly judgment one receives at death. Seele has intended to reign over a "unified" mankind. LEGION seeks an emslaved race of followers and it seems Aki has poisoned by "brother" Damien into delusions of godhood itself. Yui seems to be the only one who is able to succeed in actually accomplishing the ASIER Project correctly yet it is she who has the smallest chance of victory. I intend on seeing her agenda realized."  
  
"Even tough it seems everyone else believes you to be on their side?" said Shinji.  
  
" I have been labeled as a puppet ever since I was born. Yui is the only person who actually considers me a human being. I will repay her and all those who have tried to use me. Stopping Aki is merely one step towards this goal.  
  
"How can we help?" asked Asuka.  
  
"Do not trust Damien or Aetius. If anything is true it is that they are the enemy here and seek only power through your lives. If the situation dose turn in LEGION favor, resist. Aetius will do anything to get you in the ASIER formation on the final day of mankind's time limit and it wont matter how much you resist if that happens. The world will be destroyed."  
  
"I still don't understand how any of these outside influences will matter once the circle is formed?"  
  
"It will. If the will of the circle id of good nature than Damien will be unable to corrupt it by taking the Longinus Lance and using its powers for LEGION if they still exist. If Aki is alive than she could very well try and physically corrupt the power of the lance through any means of treachery and ill science. If LEGION is destroyed than Damien will have no officers to follow and will have no choice but to follow Yui where he will find that even if he wished to, his powers to corrupt the lance would be useless. I only hope I can persuade Helen not to assist Damien. Her love for her brother could provide the third outlet for Damien's evil intentions if she doe indeed decides to aide him in his insane goals. In the area of my "sister" I only pray Rei's friendship an pull her away from a course that could revive The Dragon."  
  
"The Dragon?"  
  
"It is said that id Damien accomplishes his corruption of the Lance than the devil will be given a body through the powers of you Shinji, myself, and Damien. If that happens I can only pray, once more, that the powers of heaven will aide us in his defeat. The angels seem to be inactive as of late."  
  
"Why wouldn't they aide us anyway. If this whole "lance corruption" takes place than wont it be lights out for the universe?"  
  
"God is a very curious being. He seems to be allowing us humans the freedom we have always wanted and it would seem we would be using it towards out own damnation. We has humans though, don't really wants heavens assistance anymore because we are foolish and prideful. We would reject a glass of water from Christ himself if we were in hell if it meant we, as a species could grow stronger. That is why NERV was formed. To become like God. My mission is clear for the moment but should my parameters include your destruction, trust me, I will kill you. You two however need to leave this place at once. Go according to Yui's plan tomorrow and be ready for anything. I will Kill Aki myself, and if necessary, Damien as well. Our lives were made for the purpose of destruction according to Aki's will. I however plan on at least changing the course of the planets destiny for the better if I must die and weather he likes it or not, so will Damien." As he stopped talking Tyr exited into the shadows and left the room for a location unknown. Asuka and Shinji both looked at one another and knew their fates would be decided tomorrow on the battlefield. Then, alone in the darkness, they embraced, knowing full well it could be their last night alive. It was then. Latter that night, that Shinji proved his love to Asuka in a way he had been unable to express or even consider before that night. Asuka accepted his love willingly and returned his emotions with her own, seeking comfort in his arms at the close of a long night and the dawn of what could be their last sunrise together. Helen and Rei stayed together as friends to watch the sun rise over the towers of Tokyo 3, still being rebuilt, and they smiled knowing their loyalties were to one another and not to LEGION, Aetius or Aki. Damien saw the sunrise as a sign of things to come and he readies himself for his ascension to power. Yui and Gendo held one another and wondered if their course of action was the right thing to do. Mistao simply drank her beer, wolfed down her burnt toast and wondered why the hell everyone was being so uptight. Fate was fate and she planned on enjoying her morning, even if everyone else was going to be a barrel of gloomey-gusses. The morning was spent preparing the EVA pilots of units 0-4 about the upcoming plans and agendas. 


	18. twilight of NERV

Chapter 15: Twilight of NERV  
  
The skies were as black as a deep shade of midnight over the small isolated facility in the south of Rome's heavily forested countryside. The lines of thick barbed wire twisted along the countryside like a erratically drawn line and heavily armored gun turrets were positioned like ever- watchful hawks along outcrops of rocks and cleared away tree-lines, always spying for the next fool stupid enough to wander into heir automated lines of sight, sight which was followed up by a short and brilliant blast of gunfire…more than enough to kill anything that moved. The small bands of free-roaming gaurds were heavily armored and all carrying modified Russian AK-47's with modified recoil and improved bullet chambers. These modified guns, nicknamed "Reapers" were also crafted from a brilliant new metal alloy that was as strong as steel and weighed a mere two pounds. These soldiers were also decked out in double grade Kevlar vests and superiorly advanced visor helmets with live video feed to the CORE, a special nest of intelligence agencies within LEGION, giving them 24-7 coverage of all their outposts. It was at about three o'clock at night when the first station, 34.34, went offline in a static filled transmission of fear. The last thing recorded on the monitors was three black shadows against a flame lit night sky. The LEGION personnel, now in a panic with fear, began to send out the preliminary forces of an invasion which consisted mostly of half-tracks and a few motorcycle scouts with a scant machine gun ammo supply. As the two teams went off over the clearing from their small station outpost in the thick trees they saw clearly the greatest horror a persona can see in a battle: horrid and utterly merciless defeat. One by one the thirteen fighter jest shipped out to the station last known transmission were quite literally being pulled from the skies and crushed by massive and towering bio-humanoids…evangelions. One soldier, a man named Riku Hashima, halted his halftrack and pulled out his radio. As he spoke through his microphone, the LEGION officers could clearly hear sounds of explosion in the distance.  
  
"Lt. Commander Hashima reporting sirs. It would seem the NERV forces have broken through our third line and are advancing into the production plant facilities. Were totally outmatched sirs! We need assistance!" The voice was cut off and the twelve men in their white uniform turned to one another. This was the Council of Cain, the inner sanctum of LEGION itself. These men, along with the approval of Aetius, were all that remained of the original horde of outcast angels. But unlike the old men at SEELE, these men and women were beautiful to look at, true masterpieces…but inside were hollow and vacuous souls, places of deep hatred and loathing. One member, a woman with long and flowing red hair stood up, an open file in her hands.  
  
"It would seem they intend to take our bait after all. The EVA's are advanceing towards the Baulders location even now. Once they reach a distance of nine hundred feet the motion sensors inside the plant will detonate and liquidate anything within a twelve mile area." The woman then sat, her long hair flowing behind her as she did. Another man, this one with radient green eyes and a slender form, counter the red-heads statement.  
  
"foolishness. An explosion will not damage the evangelions from the outside. We must wait Dr. Aki's transmission and get confirmation that she has sne thte files to us. Besides. The explison coul damge the RAY laboratories." Another man then spoke out, his voice both worried and frustrated. "Could we use RAY in its current state It seems to be only 92% complete. Is that enough to revive the dominat soul within the specamin?" The redhead then spoke up. "No. We need the final code files from Aki. Besides even if he was revived his powers would be futile as his time has not yet arrived. The fourth has not shown itself as of yet and its powers must be passed on via demise before we can revive the creature from its LCL womb. The modifications to his external form may be enough to kill in one on one combat but against an evangelion, full demonic powers will be needed."  
  
"I am curious. The Dead Sea scrolls do not predict what would happen if demons DO defeat the evangelions do they? Would the world be wiped out in a catastrophic third impact?"  
  
"Most likely not. The demons are tests, like the angels, but are not made to win: merely weaken. Once the demons are gone, and through LEGIONs intervention, The beast will be summoned up and then the real test will be placed before mankind." That voice was from Guri, Aetius'es assistant as she walked out of the shadows.  
  
Shinji looked down upon the small scurry thing followers of LEGION, their actions frantic and disbanded, their minds in disarray. Chaos had overtaken them and they would be blown away in the wind. Unit 1 stepped on a small halftrack, its occupants quickly smashed to bloody piles of excrement under the humanoids boot. Shinji hated to kill others but in this case they were no longer men or women: they had sold themselves out to the enemy of enemies and were simply receiving their final rewards. Death. In unit 2 Asuka was bust stomping out a series of pile-boxes nested around a dormant SAM site. With a swift movement of her heel, 02 tore the SAM site off its foundations and threw it into an oncoming line of armed guards, who were quickly killed. 03 and Toji were also being hassled by a squadron of harriers jets, although outdated by today's weaponry, that used modified beam technology. The green rays of intensified light scored the black Eva's armor but not enough o cause Toji any pain. The green spires of energy whizzed past 03 as it engaged its advanced mobility drives, allowing for precision movements on the pilots part. Toji curled back his Eva's arm and in one thunderous plow, ground a whole tank to flaming rubble and scrap metal in seconds. Toji wondered if he ad become desensitized to violence, shrugged and then plucked more harriers from the skies, breaking them to bits. Now though was the time to unveil the enormous power of the Evangelions upgrades. Asuka engaged her battery pack and switched her AT Field to maximum strength. 02 then activated its new weapon systems: a set of grenade launchers carried on a heavy transport truck. These G-Launchers were different though. Inside one grenade was the equivalent of a few tons of C4 and inside the C4 compound were thousands of ball-bearings. As Asuka launched one grenade into a warehouse filled with un-manned tanks, the entire structure was shattered like a glass house of cards. Shinji also employed his hew handgun and activated his enhanced targeting system, allowing his the a 75% greater rage of hitting pin-point targets. Meanwhile, from over the still on-fire distance, came Rei using her heavy support engine add-on, giving her the abilities of flight. Deploying her advanced model R45 sniper class laser weapon she provided cover fire from the air and began taking out isolated pillboxes and SAM sits…plus any other enemy unit. A small squad of LEGION soldiers, escaping a crushing explosion in a near bye factory, began to turn on a massive rail-gun emplacement deep in the side of a low lying mountain, safe from the fire of Asuka's grenades and even Rei's sniping. One hit from the rail gun could take off an evangelions whole arm or worse. Shinji then contacted NERV through his satellite radio:  
  
"Mother. Were going to need some help out here. Are the GOLGOTHA satellites online yet?" Shinji waited for a response. Yui, still at NERV, responded.  
  
"They are online and we are awaiting visual confirmation of the target." She said seriously. War was not a joke and neither was having to use an un- tested space bound laser weapon that could accidentally carve a new grand canyon into the earths surface of one wasn't careful enough. As Shinji turned his EVA to see the emplacement, not aiming for Toji, who was distracted by the tow of tanks, Yui recalled the GPS location and turned all control over to Akagi. As Shinji winced, expecting to see 03 get an appendage blown off, instead came a thunderous beam from the skies than mercilessly vibrated the station to shrapnel and spar-[arts followed up by a small yet devastating blast of white hot plasmatic heat, melting the whole gun-station to dust and debris. Yui sighed in relief as the three EVA's began to move towards their next target: The Weapons Manufacturing Plant, the outlying ring of factories that were outlying the EVA TESTING CENTER. Yui knew the GOLGOTHA satellites took 74 hours to recharge but she prayed they could squeeze out another blast. As Yui went to re0gain control of the main controls from the Magi she suddenly found herself locked out by a different password system…Aki's handiwork. LEGIONS trump card had just been played and NERV was now no longer in control f the eva's. Yui just hoped they would accomplish their goals before the twisted dr could do any more damage than what she intended to do. In the mean time a squad of specialist were sent down into Central Dogma to try and stop Aki by ANY means. Aki was now an expendable accessory that had worn out its welcome in NERV, Legion and apparently among her own "children: However this gave Aki an edge as she knew she had no where else to go…she was trapped and was a dangerous female dog when cornered. It was the hope of everyone her final kamikaze would be as toned down as possible although it was clear she was on a suicide mission.  
  
Aki was alone in the cold and empty terminal room where Dr. Akagi was being linked up with the MAGI. A pale green light bathed over everything in the radius of the computer/female hybrids central core, her eyes now rolled over as her mind was focused on overseeing the assault via satellite uplinks and feeding information to the MAGI.. Aki then opend up a metal case and pulled out a virtual-link helmet used to perform a visual 3D interface 2with only the most advanced of computers. Aki assumed her coded ant-password program had kicked in, locking out any unwanted "interlopers", and she went to work. As Aki began to plug in the various circuits to Akagis physical terminal she began to laugh to herself as she thought about how all her personal restitutions would be repaid. LEGION, the great "hidden Masters" of the UN and even the world would feel her wrath for being labeled as expendable. The defunked EVA pilots would be executed for their arrogance and her own "children", her beloved pilots. The few people she ever shared her dreams with would be punished for betraying her in one final moment when she would set off their self destruct mechanisms in one massive blast, more than enough to tar LEGION apart along with their futile EVA experiments. Knowing very well the 5th demon was being resurrected in the form of the thought-dead 5th child Aki had pre-planned for him to survive. While her plan was being implemented Aki would digitize her consciousness and program it into the 08 unit, still in cryostats. Once demons had ravaged the fools of what would be left at NERV, Aki would re- emerge and become the true master of this pitiful planet. She would have outsmarted both heaven and hell. Aki knew she could very well die in the process but to her it no longer mattered: life meant nothing to her now and she would spend what little time she had left to rpeay her past angers…and she would do it very well. Aki once had massive visions of gravure, the ASIER for one. But in light of humanities vanity and greed she saw it as a farse and gave up, hoping Damien would succeed where she had failed. But Damien instead wished to ascend WITH the Eva pilots, to reign with the fools. He was as poisoned as she once was and deserved no better than to die with them. How ironic life was As Aki engaged the VR helmet she wore began to scan the various files among the trillions of information clusters. After a few minutes of roaming the free-floating realm of the MAGI Aki found what she has hunting for. A long smile over her face Aki opened the file. Suddenly she felt a horrid pain sweep over her body, alike a hideously outrageous stinging that coursed over her frail human form as if being stabbed by millions of needles. Aki's mind reeled in a great pressure as the VR helmet began to feel hot under the electric stress. But Aki could do nothing. Her entire motor systems were now linked in VR and she was now immobile, without access to regain control. That was when she heard the laughing. From the corner of her still burning mind Aki heard the sound of callous laughter from the most unlikely sort: Tyr.  
  
Asuka could see their target from the high cliffs on which they now stood. There, nestled among a massive supply of power plants, was the main EVA testing facility. The huge domed structure seemed too easy a target just as Tyrs said it would be. Shinji approached, as did Toji.  
  
"Do you believe what Tyr said." asked Shinji  
  
"Yes. This whole mission has been to easy. It has to be a trap and look, were cut off from NERV. Aki has cut us off and could kills us all at any moment."  
  
"Not if Tyr accomplishes his goal…to kill Aki."  
  
Aki pathetically tried to look around but she was as blind as a bat.  
  
"Tyr I can hear you, you to little bastard! If you think that by killing me you can stop me you have never been so WRONG!! What I am is something that can not be destroyed!"  
  
"Oh really. What is that you have become good Dr?"  
  
"REVENGE! My wrath can not be stopped by killing this physical form you idiot!"  
  
"I disagree." Said Tyr as from his side he withdrew a long katana from beneath his coat. With one small slice Tyr cut a few cables that connected Aki's helmet to Akagi's terminal. Aki suddenly gasped in pain as her left arm went limp  
  
"What is it you hope to do!" Aki shouted, now in a rage.  
  
"Prove a theory." Tyr said, his chest now burning with rage in the place where Adamas crest was once fussed onto his skin. "You see I find the irony of all this overwhelming. You saw the other pilots and myself, not as your children, but as pawns in some sick twisted little game that you thought you were the game-master. How funny it turned out to be Yui and NERV."  
  
"What? NERV and Yui are the lowest ranking pawns in this game called life. SEELE, LEGION and The ASIER pilots are the most powerful players, but that bitch Yi is a useable and expendable pawn like myself but on a much lower scale! You don't mean to have Yui perform the ASIER ASCENTION do you? Dear god…you DO! You and Damien seem to think those pathetic little children are worth ay of your time! Why?"  
  
"Why? Because unlike YOU they value emotions, life, love and feelings. At first I hated the ideals Shinji stood for until I realized it was because I had no ideals of my own, only your whispering voice in my ear. The notes you left for me, the words of scorn, the way you loved to remind me of my heritage. I also hated my father because I thought he had given me to yo of his own free will. I was hacking into your personal files last night, in your old laboratory here at NERV from your intern days. Apparently you blackmailed him. YOU RUINED MY LIFE BEFORE I WAS EVEN BORN. I was to be your pet experiment from the day I was born or you would have exposed SEELE to the world. You took me and stole Adams crest and then trained me to be your pawn, your unwilling servant, in the hopes you could use me to overtake NERV and SEELE, all for your powerful and secret backing group, LEGION, who are the ones who have betrayed you to me and Helen. Damien I will handle latter in my own time but right now all I want is YOU!"  
  
Shinji and the other pilots sat for a good twenty minutes, watching the LEGION personnel try in vein to re-assemble a rail-gun emplacement only to be taken out by Asuka and her massive grenade launchers. Soon Asuka began picking off random targets, waiting in boredom for a signal Aki had been "neutralized"  
  
  
  
Guri and the other LEGION members looked over their CORE video monitors, wondering if the EVA's knew about their plan. Still no word from Aki. Finally Guri picked up her satellite phone and called up Aetius.  
  
"Hello Aetius. Guri here. The EVA's seem to be wise on our plan. I propose we go to step two and initiate the BAULDER. If everything goes according to plan we may-…yes sir. We will wait." Guri clicked off the phone and looked over to an assistant to see id the codes had been sent. NOTHING. Guri sighed as she opened a communication link to the TESTING FACILITES. "Guri here. Initiate the BAULDER and activate the 5th child at once! Aki is no longer an issue and we must assume Aetius is under Yui's influence!" The redhead LEGION member jumped up and looked at Guri in shock.  
  
"Guri what are you doing!"  
  
"I am eliminating the EVA threat! We must stop relying on Aki and I am positive Aetius is under the physical influence of NERV. You all know how erratic his commands have been since Mr. Abraham was murdered by SEELE. I am also positive Aetius had intended to kill Abraham before SEELE beat him to the punch! Here we have three EVA units and I say we take them out! Screw this ASIER project! I don't want to sit around and wait for some massive "rapture-ray" to do what we can already do right now! LEGION already rules the world and we must stop these idealistic idiots at NERV by DESTROYING THEM, not by manipulating them from the inside! NERV has corrupted AETIUS and I motion to expel him and put myself in command. I at least still believe in OUR power, not these evangelons!" Since no other members of legion spoke up Guri left to board a plane, as did the other LEGION members. The explosion would probably destroy their current location.  
  
"What of the RAY project?" asked one member to which Guri replied. "Let him burn."  
  
Tyr began severing more connections on Aki's mind, shutting down her nerve connection to her various appendages like her legs and arms.  
  
"Tell me Tyr, what is you theory?" Aki finally said, her voice cold and devoid of even caring. Tyr moved foreword and picked dup her helmet, re- establishing her eyesight.  
  
"I have always had this one itching question: do you have a heart?" With one super strong motion oh his one arm, the one with the sword, Tyr sliced up along Aki's chest, a spray of blood resulting like a crimson et. With his other hand Tyr plunged his icy fingers through the cut flesh and bone, then in another motion, ripped out Aki's still beating heart, his hands coated in rich, hot blood.  
  
"I'll be damned." Tyr said as Aki slumped over in a death position, her blood pooling up on the floor.  
  
  
  
Asuka smiled happily as the communication were regained inside her EVA. Aki had died dead just lke Tyr had said she would. Shinji sucked in his breath as the three evangelions raced down the steep cliff and began to plow through the lines of fortified soldiers, a barrage of sheer strength and massive speed. As the soldiers toppled like rag dolls and the tanks and heavy armor were brushed away like children's toys the Eva pilots began to demolish a course into the heart of the testing facilities. As scientists and soldiers ran in terror, none noticed the large domed structure begin to open up and reveal their new target: The Evangelion, Baulder.  
  
"It would appear they have opted to wipe us out physically through the Baulder rather than an explosion. Do you suppose LEGION would trey and escape?" asked Rei.  
  
"Maybe. Who cares. We need to concentrate on this fake EVA and destroy the research facilities!" said Asuka, her Eva suddenly charging ahead into battle. But as Asuka charged ahead Shinji saw the truth. This was no false EVA… it was the real thing. Shinji went to scream but his breath caught as he saw Rei fly towards the EVA with Asuka. The Baulder was a deep white color with green markings and a head in the style of Rei's prototype, with one central eye. The eye pulsed red as it activated its AT Field. This dummy plug controlled machine, although shoddily built, was very dangerous. As Asuka charged she opened fire with her grenade launchers. Shinji expected an AT Field but instead saw bleeding and ripped eva flesh. Apparently unable to generate an AT Field, this Eva seemed to be an east target…but not to Shinji. He knew LEGION wasn't as idiotic or erratic as Aki was: this wasn't their main weapon. Something elsewhere, an elusive presence lingered, familiar….Shinji discarded the presence and with one skilled shot blew out the Eva's eye in an explosion of glass, metal, flesh and blood. Screaming in a bestial roar the Eva suddenly showed its true form. Out of its back came a set of massive white wings and its eye regenerated into that of a pulsing green sphere with a serpentine slit down its axis. The Eva then took to the air and unleashed a powerful AT Field blast that shock the entire complex and knocked Shinji off his feet. Toji caught himself and was the first to whiteness the Baulders power. Swooping down like a massive bird of prey the Eva landed its two feet against 03's chest, cracking bone and metal in the impact. But Toji wasn't the type to give up. With the EVA upon him, 03 rolled behind the Baulder and with his two strong hands, tore the wings off the EVA's back in a gush of blue and black blood. Suddenly everyone's eyes grew wide with terror. Black blood. It was then the EVA's skin and nerves shot out from its wound and in seconds re-spawned its dead cells with a glowing red light of fiery intensity. Now aflame with raw power from the AT-Field and demonic power the Eva regenerated its wings and let loose a small shock wave of power, pushing the three EVA's back a few feet.  
  
"Shinji ots the 4th demon! Yui said it would be without form! Its taken over the body of the Baulder! We have to eradicate it!: shouted Rei. Asuka smiled as she decided this would be the place to prove once and for all she was worthy of Shinji, a boy ho had defeated many angels and demons. She would not be in anyone's shadow ever again! Asuka, alive with passion, walked up to the Baulder, their bio-humanoid eyes interlocking in a classic stare down. Baulder sneered in a demonic howl as it raised up its clawed hand to strike 02 down in one blow. The, in alighting swift move, 02 landed a punch straight through the Baulders head and then unfurled her entire AT field. The orange energy ripped through the Baulders body, forcing it apart like an exploding watterbaloon of blood and flesh. As Asuka pulled the remains of the Baulders head from 02's fist the blood rained across the smoking remains of LEGIONS main base. With one pull of her trigger, a single grenade tore open the entire research laboratories, a chain reaction of explosions resulting and alighting the night with green flames as hundreds of thoundands of gallons of chemicals went up in flames. In the fires stood Asuka, her honor having been proven, as she was now responsible for the defeat of the fourth demon in single combat.  
  
As explosions rocked the waters in his chamber, the red eyes opened slowly, filled with an unholy power as its thoughts were soon filled with the memories of its destiny: eradicate the evangelions. The physical shape that was once Kaoru Nagisa was now the mechanically advanced humanoid endowed with all the powers of hell. With a mere exertion oh his AT-Field, Kaoru shattered his cryogenic tube, his muscles swelling with strength, his mind a razor sharp blade. How ironic the final demon would be half angel. Suddenly the great waves of chemical fires swept over the laboratories. Kaoru didn't need to worry. Fire actually fed his still growing strength. Kaoru looked himself over as the devastating explosions passed over him. His body was different all save for his head which was reconstructed via intense surgery which gave him a semi mutilated scat along his left face all the way down to his chest where 01 has cut him in two from head to neck. Kaoru saw his body, from the neck down, was a bizarre replication of cells from Lilith and Rei. His left arm was mostly mechanical as was a good portion of his chest. Although he knew who he used to be this Kaoru was now what he should have been so long ago: the final messenger.  
  
As LEGION burned NERV personnel raced into quell the flames, and to capture any of the LEGION captains or CEO's who still remained. The Evangelions were put on four of planes rebound for Japan while Yui and Gendo meet the pilots in a small assembly in Rome to assess the damage. The French guards who were mobilized were disbanded as it appeared they were not needed…or wanted. Shinji Rei Asuka and Toji were in a dining hall when Yui entered a look of deep relievement on her face. Shinji loved to see his mother happy and even more so to see Asuka with pride in herself again after her victory.  
  
"Did you see the way that demon exploded! Whooh. I always said I was the best and I must have been right all along!" Asuka jokingly said. Shinji laughed and jokingly added, "Asuka you sure are one big dumkoff!". Those words cracked Asuka and Toji up. Even Rei found herself laughing. Everyone paused and looked at Rei then laughed even more. Suddenly Misato walked in, once again in her white uniform.  
  
"Good job Asuka!" Misato chimed in happily as she handed Yui the results from NERV. Aki's body had been found, murdered obviously. Yui grimaced to think how she must have died but pushed the thought out of her head as she sat amongst her pilots. Yui saw their smiling faces and it seemed to re- kindle her fires to keep going on with her agenda. Their night would be spent in a NERV Vila located in the south of France and from their they would go back to NERV after a small and well deserved "vacation" for the pilots and the head personnel. Asuka, giddy over getting to see Paris was curious to test Shinji's romantic side while Rei had always wondered what the Eiffel Tower looked like up close. Toji was a weeping mess because Hikari wasn't there to be with him. As the plane landed in Paris, Aetius was busy overlooking the main elements revolving around Aki's murder. Unfortunately now he had to plan a way to outwit Guri and her twelve brainwashed LEGION councilmen she took with her to an unknown LEGION base. It would not be a petty human who ended his plans though as it was very simple to have an assassin kill Guri once she made a phone call. But as for the other Eva pilots, Aki's brood, their was a different problem. These children were obviously not loyal to Aki and clearly showed no TRUE interest in legion. But id LEGION looked to be the lesser of two evils than maybe he could coax them into joining his side and accomplishing the ASIER. The only problem was how to discredit a person like Yui and Gendo Ikari…  
  
  
  
Keel watched the evening news from his hospital bed and smiled as the images of Asuka slaying the mysterious "4th demon" was replayed over and over for nearly an hour as various nations tried to claim credit for the successful destruction of the LEGION terrorist networks throughout Rome. As news reached Keel the pilots were in France and not in Japan Keels senses of doom lighted. At the moment Yui and Gendo potential assassination targets on Aetiuses list. If they were to be captured or used as playing chips to get the other pilots to do Aetiuses or Damien's bidding the results could be disastrous and at the moment Keels plan had not come to fruition…but soon it would and SEELE would be back in control of NERV again. Keel had realized how much relations had changed, how his goals were put into perspective. Maybe, just maybe, humanity deserved another few millennia to repair itself before the final days of judgment. Maybe Yui was correct.  
  
Damien sipped his glass of water as he looked over Helens notes that were pulled from Aki's old files outlining the entire ASIER process from start to finish with lots of translations form the dead sea scrolls pointing out religious signifigence and such. Aki was an idiot but a very thorough one.  
  
"Are these all the notes?" Damien said. Helen nodded. 'good. Tyr is probably washing Aki's fresh blood from his hands, you and I, my sister, are the only ones who can truly pull ASIER off now. Tyr has murdered and is inferior to out pure sates of being."  
  
"What? You know full well he did what he did on YOUR motivations!  
  
"That ay be but he still did the deed. It doesn't matter however. Soon Aetius will be removed from this little equation just like LEGION and in its place SEELE will assume control. These events have been going according to plan and soon will make my move to power as the final demon arrives here at NERV."  
  
"How in the hell do you plan to do any of this. Everyone knows you plan to do something and when ASIER is begin they will certainly try and do everything in their power to prevent your scheme. Why don't you just join Yui and Rei along with Shinji and Asuka…and me."  
  
"What do you mean "..and you.""  
  
"I will not help you." With those words Damien slammed his hands on the table in a thunderous rage.  
  
"WHY NOT! How dare you betray me like you did Aki! I alone have the potential to assume god-hood and I want to take you with me! Why turn it down!"  
  
"I read Aki's files. I know if you assume the power you desire it will eradicate all life for future generations. You have sold out to the devil brother but its not to late. You can renounce him and come with Yui!", Damien was now eraic with laughter.  
  
"SOLD OUT? W4e made a clean cut deal! If I destroy heaven and claim the Earth for him and his angels and whomever I choose will be allowed immortality in his kingdom! Yui will wither and burn in the torrent of power I will unleash. I suppose you must now be burned as well. My sister. One dose not simply renounces a deal with the devil. If I am to die I will do so stabbing by blades of hate deep into this frail planet!"  
  
"Than you will end up like Aki did." Helen aid as she got up and walked out of Damien virtually empty dorm room. Damien sneered and then wept tears as he threw his glass of water against the wall. "Fine. I will go with you and Yui but only for YOUR sake!" he shouted. Helen smiled and wiped away her tears of sadness.  
  
"Thank you. You have no clue how happy you have just made me." As Helen closed the door behind her. Damien sneered and clenched his head as a deep cold presence swept into the room, forcing Damien to his knees.  
  
"NO master, never! I would never betray you! I only said it to...calm her mind..ARGGG. NO! I will remain loyal!" Damien shouted as he fell to the ground, covered in a cold sweat., gasping for breath as the icy presence left the room. Damien pulled himself up off the floor and looked in his mirror. Instead of his face he saw a young man with a great destiny before him…and many enemies. Damien smiled as he went to go do something he should have done a long time before."  
  
Asuka sat next to Shinji at the small restaurant next to the Eiffel tower, alone beneath the stars. Asuka was drinking in the atmosphere while Shinji was wondering what the hell the huge attraction to looking at a metal radio antenna and eating snails in a country of snobs was. But Shinji shrugged the feelings off and looked over at Asuka, glad they were actually eating something at this restaurant! Asuka inhaled her pasta leaving Shinji wondering oif she was secretly related to Toji. Asuka saw the look on her "boyfriends" face and slowed her eating down significantly, sheepishly. "Asuka, can I ask you something."  
  
"Off course Shinji." Asuka said, trying not to reveal a mouthful of linguini in clam sauce. Shinji ignored the gaping maw full of half chewed food and went on with his conversation.  
  
"I was wondering…about your mother. Your real one. What do you remember of her, I mean, what was she like an all…" Asuka got a serious look on her face as he put her fork down.  
  
"She loved me very much until her accident during the sync test with 02. I remember once she gave me a stuffed kitten toy. I thought it was the greatest thing. My momma gave me a toy. I took it everywhere until she died. After that I was moving around and my dad remarried…then she gave me a stuffed animal to try and make me act mor elike a child. I hated my stepmother for that doll and I tore it open, as if to say "hey lady, fuck you". But I really wanted to like the doll even though I thought I didn't need it. In reality I needed anything I could get my hands on. Same with you. I deeply wanted to love you even though I thought I didn't want to under the pretense that I did not really need you to be near me. Personally I assumed you to more a match for Rei until I found out about your…history. Then, when you sat over me in the hospital, I knew I needed your love to keep myself alive and ever since I haven't stopped.' Shinji smiled as he reached inside a small bag of various nick-knacks and pulled out a small stuffed hedgehog, beanie baby variety. Asuka nearly broke out into tears.  
  
"Misato said once I was like a hedgehog. Every time I got close to others I hurt them. I know now she WAS right once but no more. I thought this little guy was cute so I bought him in the shop over by the tower and..-Shinji didn't have time to finish because Asuka had already pulled him out of his chair and was racing to their hotel.  
  
Yui and Gendo sat atop the Eiffel towers highest level and looked over the city, its thousands of twinkling lights illuminating the night skies. "Gendo, why did you sleep with Akagai and Nano?" Gendo's face reddened in panic as he staggered slowly looking around to find a convenient distraction.  
  
"Its OK. I have forgiven you. I was trapped within a giant bio-humanoid. I just hope you will be a bit more faithful from now on…" Gendo sighed both out of embarrassment and shame as she put his arm around Yui and pulled her close to him.  
  
"I promise." Yui smiled  
  
"That's all I wanted to hear."  
  
  
  
Shinji was dizzy with the speed Asuka was trying to undress him. In her passionate and zealous love Shinji was a toss amid a sea of hormones, passions and sheer lust. It wasn't that Shinji didn't like it, hell, he LOVED it, but it was very…weird...to say the least. Suddenly Asuka stopped abruptly and Shinji looked up to se her in nothing but a set of French-cut lingerie. Shinji's heart nearly leapt out of his chest and ran out the door. Suddenly Asuka resumed her mad passion and jumped on him. Shinji broke off from Asuka's intensifying kisses and was about to say something when a small voice ( and his now "intensifying" physical features, stopped him ). "Were you going to say something?' Asuka asked shyly, hoping it wasn't to alert her as to how "fast" she was acting. Shinji shut his damn mouth and let the night go on…all night.  
  
Kaoru rose from amid the still burning rubble, his red eyes alight with sheer energy as his physical form began to radiate with raw demonic rage, a single name upon his lips: Ikari. Then the young "man" began to sense their air and he then turned to wards the west…towards NERV. Towards Ikari.  
  
The pilots awoke the next morning to Yui and Gendo's very intrusive wake-up calls. Although when Yui saw the two stark naked she quickly gave them twenty minutes alone…minutes she hoped were spent dressing!  
  
Misato was truly in the bowls of Hades! Since her "private drinking binges" were public knowledge the Major was to attend a few regulatory meetings…including one at an AA group. Misato sat in the white room surrounded by drunkards and slobs, all pulled from union jobs and sent to this one room where they could openly express how big losers they all were. Misato had no time for such things, at least not now. As it came time for Misato to speak she made the point of twirling her handgun as a pastime, mostly to deter any "stupid" questions or comments from some of the more dull blades in the drawer. "Ugh. Hello my name is Misato and if anyone of you so much as begins to say "hello Misato" I swear to you I will shoot your eyes out in your sleep! Now then…any replies?" One man began to form the words "hello" but stopped when Misato aimed her gun at his kneecaps. The meeting remained silent for twenty minutes until Misato dismissed them and took her 24-hour without a beer-chip and put it on the counter of the local pub where her good friend Norman Shway distributed liquid gold to the depressed masses/  
  
"Hey Katsuragi these things are no good here!" Norman shouted as he inspected the small bronze token. Misato cursed under her breath. Norman began to hand her back the chip and gives her the beer. Misato happily reached out for the tall pint but instead found Norman pulling his hand away.  
  
"Hey! Your being mean! Gimmie my bear!" Misato snapped in a sarcastically sad tone. Norman shot her a look that froze her blood and she backed off.  
  
"Tell'ya what Katsuragi. You get your two-week chip and I'll consider letting you have this beer. Can you do that?" their were times Misato wished murder laws didn't exist, ya know, silly thing like "manslaughter" and such. Misato got an unhappy look and reluctantly agreed. Misato then went home as she opened her refrigerator door…saw NOTHING! Suddenly Maya came from around the door and handed the speechless Mistao a cell phone.  
  
"You can't escape this Misato Katsuragi. I'll be watching you!" the voice of Norman said. Misato clicked off the phone and threw in across the room.  
  
"Hey that was my phone!" Maya cried  
  
It had now been two weeks since the incident in Rome and since then the EVA pilots seemed to slip into a rate of perplexed relaxation. Tyr and the other pilots remained phantoms amid the complex; Shinji continued his relationship with Asuka while Helen and Rei continued to be good friends. Damien became a recluse in his room as Yui began to prepare NERV for the coming moth…a moth that could bring about the last of the demons and possibly the end to the use of evangelions altogether. Misato, despite maddening attempts to "binge" found she had been blacklisted at every bat in Tokyo 3. Aetius remained the unofficial master of NERV while Keel overcame physical therapy and re-entered the public life as the leader of various social parties. As for LEGION nothing was heard from Guri despite Aetiuse's spies and even a few of his double agents returned saying they could find nothing of the Cain Council…at all. Meanwhile Evangelion unit 8 sat unused…waiting.  
  
Yui looked over the schematics of the 08 unit, her eyes screening the various statistics. It was during her deep reading that commander Fuyutsuki entered the room. The commander had been a very rare face around NERV in the past few weeks as he was now the public relations officer and also head of the American NERV branch, now based in New York.  
  
"How have you been Yui." The commander said, pulling Yui from her piles of paperwork. Yui's eyes lit up and she hugged her old professor and pulled him a chair.  
  
"Its been a little while professor. How have you been in America?"  
  
"Irs been…different to say the least. I heard about the Rome incident and the disbanding of LEGION. I must say I am very impressed Yui. So far things are looking up for the human race with you as the leader of NERV again…despite this Aetius person. I hear he is the new representative for SEELE?"  
  
"In title only now. Since Keel returned to good health he has been re0instituted to his former seat in the council. I think Aetius is now only hearing as a "decoration."" Fuyutsuki laughed a bit and looked at a few pictures of Shinji and Asuka that were on Yui's desk.  
  
"These two seem to make a very cute couple. I still remember when they first meet. They seemed to hate each other. How times change."  
  
"I agree. Asuka and Shinji seem to provide the love one another needs. They have become a sort of mascot couple for all of NERV. Every time they go out on a date everyone knows about it. Any restaurant they go to becomes a hit…meanwhile Misato is trying to come to grips with the sobriety her job requires." Fuyutsukies jaw nearly hit the floor it dropped so fast.  
  
Kaoru walked along the mountainous regions of Japan, his eyes still burning with the single thought that filled his malicious mind: Ikari. He saw so close his very body quivered in sheer rage.  
  
Damien sat on his bed, his mind recoiled in planning and conspiring, his hand clenching a small stopwatch, its timer reading "23:03:23" and it was counting down. Damien looked at his timer and smiled to himself, embraced in the sheer irony of what was about to happen.  
  
Rei Aiyanami, the shy blue haired young woman who was often seen around NERV, Rei was busy looking over some schoolwork when Damien entered the library, his body covered by a long black cot as if he would freeze in the warm summer weather. Reis emotions immediately went on alert as the tall teenager say down across the table next to Rei.  
  
"Hello their Aiyanami. Busy reading?" Damien said.  
  
"I was simply catching up on some light reading for English class. Why are you here?" Rei said slowly, trying her best to hide her initial shock and personal loathing at being near him.  
  
"I was simply wondering what you were up to. No need to be so defensive.' Damien said slyly. Rei blushed at having had her emotions read so easily by this…person. "I do not normally get visitor in here that is all."  
  
"Liar. You know the blood in my veins if the exact opposite of yours."  
  
"I do not know what you mean.'  
  
"Again you lie. You know damn well I am the result of reversed polarity angel DNA…a half demon hybrid of Lilith! You and I are the same, yet we are opposites. One male and a demon, one female and an angel. The classic stereotypes if you would agree."  
  
"I do not. I do not fear nor hate you because of WHAT you are made of but the presence you have around you…a dark coldness. Like death." By now the room had seemed to grow dark, as if the light was being drained from the very air and into Damien's blue eyes. Then the air grew cold, almost stagnant. Damien's voice now carried with it an echo as if from the bottom of a deep tomb.  
  
"You, Rei Aiyanami, are not in control, even here. My power expands far beyond that of your own. You Aiyanami have a choice to make." By nor Rei's mind was dizzy as Damien continued his eerily channeled message. "You may either join with me or die in my wake. The time will be coming when your personal connections to Helen, Shinji, Asuka and Yui will be tested by fire. NERV is in its last days. What will emerge will either transform you or break you in two!" It was then the room returned to normal and Rei struggled to re-gain her breath. Suddenly a group of men raced over to her side.  
  
"Ma'am are you okay?" one asked  
  
"It...was the 6th child. Where is he?"  
  
"The sixth child ma'am? Damien?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"He was never here ma'am. You have been here alone for about an hour." Rei's eyes widen as the icy cold soon enveloped her, her mind going blank.  
  
Shinji was walking along the main highway to school when he saw Tyr walkig towards him. Tyr seemed to be very upset! Shinji, now having his curiosity stroked, raced up to meet him.  
  
"Ikari. Where Yui!" he stated in a haste  
  
"Mother? She was at NERV last I checked and she was supposed to go to_" Shinji and Tyr were suddenly knocked off their feet as a massive explosion rocked the whole block, even the whole city. Massive crack erupted along the street as hot clouds of smoke were seem in the distance.  
  
'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" shouted Shinji  
  
"Easy enough to answer. NERV has just self destructed." 


	19. A Wolf Amoung Lambs

Chapter 16: A Wolf Among Lambs  
  
NERV was a flaming ruin of its former glory. Where massive buildings of mankind's great principles once rose up into the sky, only twisted monuments of death watched onward as the rescue workers continues to quell the roaring fires. Shinji and Tyr were in a transit lift when they were halted by a group of rescue personnel.  
  
"Hey kids, get the hell out of here, this is a rescue operation!:. Shinji reared up his fists lowly, tears being held back by his rage and frustration.  
  
"Where is my mother?! Where is Asuka, Rei and father?" he demanded, his tone bordering on the psychotic, a light of insane fire in his eyes. The worker looked at the emotionally rocked boy and pulled out a chart, scanning it with his smoke and grime covered face.  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Ikari are safe as are all the children. However, a one Major Katsuragi is in serious care at this moment. All other members of the NERV staff weren't inside the GeoFront when the detonation switches were set off."  
  
"Any idea how they were set off in the first place? Sabotage? Malfunction of the MAGI?" asked Tyr, his voice eerily calm, like Aiyanami.  
  
The man frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "We have no clue. About twenty minutes ago we got an emergency message from NERV and we were sent into the GeoFront. By the time we arrived everything went off like a big ass powder keg. You boys need to go up to shelter room 43. Most of the other NERV staff will be there. Were going to be down here a while."  
  
"What of the Evangelions?" Shinji asked, his voice now calmed and leveled off, despite his soar throat.  
  
"Yeah, those tings were launched out of the GeoFront as part of the self destruct program. Apparently they weren't meant to be destroyed. Were recovering most of them right now." Tyr bowed slightly as did Shinji, and then turned to go back up to the surface, to Shelter 43. Meanwhile, what was once NERV HQ was a flaming valley of decay and bodies.  
  
"What of the Lance and Lilith? Are they secure?" Yui held her cellular phone against here ear, trying to get an audible response from the static filled other end where Fuyutsuki was, still in America.  
  
"Yes they're both fine ma'am. Your suspicions were apparently correct. I suppose now we'll all be moving to the New York branch?"  
  
"Maybe. Once were through cleaning up here we may either relocate to Germany or China. Personally I hope we can go to any NERB branch in South America. So little questions are asked there you know." Fuyutsuki laughed a bit and clicked off his phone. Yui put her cell phone in her purse and went into the main conference hall where the SEELE council had convened, with both Aetius and Keel present. Yui stood before the collection of powerful old men and smiled to herself, despite the smell of ash and decay around her. She knew the end would justify the means almost a hundred fold.  
  
"Gentlemen as you are now well aware, the Japanese branch of NERV is gone, wiped out by a freak act of unknown origin. Our only choice is to relocate, but that is why we are all here. To decide the new HQ for NERV and Central DOGMA." Keel opened up a series of leather bund files and poured them out onto the desk where everyone was gathered., his voice now raspy and aged in his state of health. "SEELE intends for NERV to be relocated to the New York area for the sake of Lilith and Longinusses protection. Plus commander Fuyutsuki is already their and will provide adequate buffering for your arrival. However, the American government is quite uneasy about he evangelions, given their history of violent and rather destructive natures. We are going to need a massive cash purse to tide the politicians in Washington over."  
  
"Money always works on the politicians but it's the military I am worried about. The Americans have a style akin to "seize first, get permit latter" when it comes to weaponry of such a massive level on their soil." Said Gendo.  
  
"Where are the EVA pilots at this moment?" asked Aetius, his mind seemingly adrift on other thoughts.  
  
"They are all in the 41st shelter and being debriefed by Maya." Keel replied  
  
"Then we agree? New York shall be the new base for NERV." Keel stated, his voice filled with a zeal and power never heard for quite some time.  
  
  
  
Kawru's eyes scanned the chaos of the burning Geofront, his one metal encased hand clenched in a tight fist, radiating with a visible AT Field resonance. "Ikari" his voice echoed as he pulled his hooded sweeter over his face and went back into the shadows, sensing his time had not yet come to reveal himself. Kawru sneered and clenched his fist once more.  
  
  
  
Shinji looked out of the plane and down over the great ocean, its expanse as far as te eye could see. Asuka had fallen asleep next to him and her mouth was wide open, a massive snoring noise emanating from it. Shinji laughed at her appearance and then saw Rei, alone on an isle seat, her mind fixated on the images of the destroyed NERV complex she held in her hands, as if she were scanning them for answers she knew she would never find. Shinji got out of his seat and went over to the empty seat next to Rei. Rei looked a bit startled as Shinji sat down and then she allowed herself a small smile.  
  
"Hello Shinji." Rei said slowly, the sleep deprivation having now become very apparent in her voice.  
  
"Why aren't you asleep Rei?"  
  
"The same reason as you."  
  
"Yeah. I can never sleep under stress anymore than the next person. I just don't like the idea of Misato being alone in Japan, in a hospital of all places."  
  
"Katsuragi will be fine. She is a very tough woman and this will probably amount to little more than a scar or two when she recovers." Rei's face suddenly became drawn, her eyes widened, as if she had just realized a massive factor oblivious to her before.  
  
"Rei?" Shinji said, placing his hand on her shoulder. As Shinji touched her Rei suddenly blacked out, her eyes rolling over and her mind slipping off to another place away from her body.  
  
It was very cold where she was now. Not cold like ice, more like an ominous feeling, a sixth sense. The space around Rei's body was black, a great expanse of nothing. Suddenly Rei could see the evangelions, all of them, in a great circle around unit 01, the Longinus Lance in its hands. Then from the skies, a huge ray enveloped the world and there was an explosion of light. Then nothing. Suddenly the same vision came again, the EVA's, Shinji, the lance, all their. However when the ray came from the skies it did not envelop the world, merely shine for a brief moment, and then fade away. Once more the vision began to repeat itself. However this time unit 6, The Garm, took hold of the Longinus Lance and used it to summon down a huge beam of flames than took units 01, 05 and 06 into itself, then formed a huge serpentine dragon, its wings formed from the flames of unit 01 and the Longinus lance, suspended within its chest. Then the Dragon rose up and flew into the skies, its wake of flames enveloping the whole of the world and destroying countless. Then the Rei saw the Dragon tear down the gates of heaven and the whole of Zion became a sea of flames. Then, amid the dragon's presence, was that of Damien, his hair free flying in the cinders of angels, his eyes ablaze with evil light. Rei then realized the truth she had been trying to suppress, to ignore: Damien was a recreation of the fallen one…a demon of the highest order, the natural enemy of an angel, her other half. Rei thought hard as images began to swirl around her, her mind a toss with realizations until it hit her: Damien was the one who set off the detonation commands.  
  
Rei bolted out of her comma, Shinji sitting next to her still.  
  
"Are you okay Rei? You seemed to nod off and then you sprang back to life! Your so tired your body is giving out on you." Rei blushed a bit and looked away from Shinji, her mind bothered by the images she had just seen. Yui was on another flight and was not there. Could she tell Shinji? No. he had too much to worry about, save the information that Damien was a murderous demon who would try to destroy heaven. Rei would tell Yui about this…until then she would remain silent and wonder why she was being shown these things. Shinji got back out of his chair and went to go sit by Asuka who had woken up. Shinji felt Asuka put her head on his shoulder and then he too slipped to sleep. Rei stayed awake the entire 14 hour flight, afraid to dream any more visions.  
  
Aetius and Damien sat in the private plane bound for New York city. Damien was looking at his watch while his "partner" was busy writing out forms for SEELE.  
  
"That was a risky move you pulled Damien. If we are caught everything will be ruined. Two thousand years of work will be soured."  
  
"Not to worry. The only one who could possibly implicate me is about to be VERY distracted. I predict the fifth will be here very soon."  
  
"So the 5th survived after all? Impressive, I was sure fate would have had to use a different vessel but apparently I was wrong. Ironic isn't it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That the final test for minds, its final "demon" is to be in the form its saviors good friend who is out for his blood."  
  
"No. its ore ironic that an angel is going to simply LET me destroy heaven."  
  
"You saying Rei will not try to halt ASIER?"  
  
"No"  
  
"A bit bold aren't we?"  
  
"Not in the slightest. By now the vision will be arriving to her. But she will not act on them; rather, she will go to Yui and confide in her for assistance. But Yui knows full well an aspect of evil is to be necessary in the ASIER process as are elements of light. Yui will at best, try to dissuade me from what I intend to do. But I answer to other who operate above her level of authority."  
  
"As do many others."  
  
"Where is that bitch Guri anyway. It was her fault I had to switch the destruct codes anyway. If she hadn't ditched Japan and headed for America we wouldn't have to haul ass all the way out to New York."  
  
"It took some convincing to get my spies to find her and the LEGION council but I think it was worth it. Once we re-link with Guri then we will have enough power to re0take SEELE from Keel."  
  
"Speaking of which, where is the old Jew anyway?"  
  
"Probably with Gendo, going over his "secret" plan to destroy me."  
  
"Plan eh?"  
  
"Indeed. Keel thinks I am blind to his actions but he will soon find I have some plans of my own in the works."  
  
"You mean operation GOG and sub plan MAGOG? I thought we wouldn't need to involve any other nations?"  
  
"It is now necessary. Once the UN goes to war with SEELE htan the entire world will be enveloped by war, giving you and I the time to steal power from Keel and initiate ASIER for ourselves."  
  
"I still don't understand why Yui will go through with Asier if LEGION is in command of the situation."  
  
"Because she is a fool and believes the will of the pilots ill be the deciding factor, even if forced to go through a plausible "Hell ascension". She relies to much on faith and fee will. Aki did that to and look where it got her. I hear her body was carves open like a Thanksgiving Day turkey."  
  
"A very painful passing but a necessary one to say the least."  
  
"Quite cruel from a person who was supposed to be as close to her as a son is to a mother. I would think her death would have sadden you a bit."  
  
"What do you mean "death?"  
  
  
  
Asuka breathed in the thick New York air and smiled, right as she let out a loud congested cough. The sights of actually memorable landmarks were welcome sights as the spunky red-head and her "boyfriend" got off the plane followed by Rei and Maya. Shinji looked upon the impressive skyline and was amazed to see how much the great city had been rebuilt since the second impact A second plane had already landed to greet them and waiting were Aetius, Yui, Fuyutsuki and Damien. US government officials and even a few UN diplomats greeted the small entourage. As the pilots descended the planes walkway they were faced with a tall man in a white military uniform.  
  
"Welcome to the United States of America. I am General Westgate and will be escorting you to the Fourth Branch of NERV here in New York. If you would please come with me…" The pilots all shrugged and went with Westgate and Yui, into a parked limousine. Once inside the General removed his hat and began to de-brief the occupants of the situation. "Well now. I see everyone who still needs to e informed his here so let me begin. As I said before I am General Westgate and am the second in charge of the 4th NERV branch under Mrs. Ikari now. Commander Fuyutsuki will be shipping off to Hokkaido as of thirty-two hundred tomorrow. All your EVA's have arrived safely via an emergency transport shuttle and the Longinus Lance is in out care back at headquarters."  
  
"And Lilith?" asked Rei  
  
"Yes, well, that item in question is still being "relocated" from its last position. It very had to try and set up such a thing given our…current information on its origins. But as afr as I know its been set up in out maximum level biology ward."  
  
"How long until NERV is fully functional again?" Asuka said, her eyes distracted by the buildings outside  
  
"Everyone should be ready within a week."  
  
  
  
The massive NERV complex, located a few miles outside of New York City itself, was truly impressive. Most of the structures were located beneath the ground yet even they were almost twice as big as the GeoFront was…something Shinji thought to be impossible. The area that housed the computer terminals, along with the restored MAGI computers (straight from the remains of the Geofront) were still being installed. According to the gossip, a female computer terminal was being set up in the lowest levels of the base…Akagi was alive. The entire base was built like a roman cathedral yet still housed all the equipment necessary to launch, maintain and transport the EVANGELIONS themselves. As the small band of pilots and scientists were being lead on the tour of the facilities. Eventually came the time where living quarters would be established. The pilots were all lead into a large room where Westgate had a large chart, from which he read.  
  
"Since Mrs. Katsuragi is not going to be with us for a minimum of two weeks we have an updated living quarters chart here. The pilots Rei Aiyanami, Shinji Ikari, and Asuka Shoyu are to be in living area 2. Mr. and Mrs. Ikari are to be in station room L7.The pilots Tyr and Toji are to be in room 453-T and Damien and Helen will occupy facilities 3 and 4."  
  
"You mean I am going to live with Rei and Asuka…alone?" stammered Shinji  
  
"I thought it would do you kids some good to try sticking it out on your own for a bit. I think you are all old enough to handle it, don't you?" said Yu, her face filled with a type of silent pride. Shinji blushed and looked over at Asuka and Rei who were speechless, their jaws hanging open. Yui walked over to Shinji and cupped her hands to his ear then whispered: "nothing too wild will happen will it?" she giggled. Shinji fell completely over and knocked Asuka over, her mouth still wide reopen is disbelief. Stunned, both of them looked at one another, then at Yui, their faces red with embarrassment. As the group went to begin the moving process, Shinji and Asuka were alone, standing in the corridor, a wide smile on their faces. They then turned to see Rei, a smile of irony on her face as well. Suddenly Shinji and Asuka exchanged fake coughing attacks as they went their separate ways, trying to avoid Rei's expression of having caught them planning such illicit agendas.  
  
Shinji opened the door to the new "house" and found their livening quarters were as big as one! Inside their was a fully furnished living room, a massive kitchen and three bedrooms ( though in Shinji and Asuka's mind only two would be occupied )  
  
"SWEET Bejebus look at the size of this place!" stammered Asuka as General Westgate followed them in.  
  
"Well we here in the US pride ourselves on the ability to comfort you children seeing as how you are our theoretical saviors. No need for heroes to live in an apartment-sized house when we can easily spare the extra space her at HQ. The lower levels are all reserved for the on-base commanders to if you need anything just ask them. Ok?"  
  
"Thank you very much sir." Said Rei as the General went to go greet the other new residents. Asuka threw herself onto the massive queen sized bed and ripped off her shoes from her sore feet. Rei was busy examining the sparkling clean bathroom while Shinji amused himself with American TV, including some re-rubs of his favorite shoe, Tenchi Universe, which seemed to run on a channel totally devoted to cartoons! After a few HOURS of unpacking, Rei decided to leave the two "lovebirds" as she nicknamed them, alone for a bit while she went to go inspect Yui and Gendo's housing. Shinji found Asuka asleep on the bed when he came in, the hour now very late. Asuka was dressed in a light blue tank top that's straps were almost completely off her shoulders while she slept. As Shinji stared at her, admiringly, she slowly awoke to his presence, a loud yawn escaping her mouth.  
  
"Hey lover, what time is it?" Asuka said sleepily. Shinji laughed a bit and looked over at his watch.  
  
"Its about midnight. I think some sleep would be necessary for the both of us."  
  
"Sleep eh?" Asuka said slyly. Shinji looked down at his feet in embarrassment but then looked around. Here they were, alone, in their new "house". Shinji walked over to Asuka's side, his hands placed over her shoulder. Asuka pulled herself up and meet his lips with her own, their grip intensifying. Slowly, Shinji pulled off the loose Tank top shirt and gazed upon Asuka, her chest bare like an infant child. Slowly, as if not wanting to scare her off, Shinji cupped her breast in his hand and felt is smoothness against his palm, kneading it ever so slowly. Asuka sighed in pleasure for a second as Shinji ran his mouth along her taut nipple, the warmness of his breath enveloping her in a mixture of pleasure and a sense of wanting more. Asuka pulled the shirt from Shinji's now exposed chest as he removed her already revealing shorts. His hand now firm against her rear, Shinji felt the smoothness of her thighs and the warm presence of her hand against the side of his face.  
  
"Shinji?" Asuka said, her mind dizzy with emotions and sensual feelings.  
  
"Yes Asuka?"  
  
"Can you just hold me until I fall asleep?" Shinji's eyes narrowed as he smiled, the words seemingly covering him in a type of happiness.  
  
"Of course." He said as he took her naked form and embraced it against his own. There they stayed until dawn came to awaken them. Never before had either known such happiness. They awoke to a wide smiling Rei who simply said: "You couldn't even wait 24 hours. Sex fiends.  
  
Morning came with unexpected plans. Since the SEELE committee had not yet joined their permanent station on the base, as requested by Yui, their were some question as to chairmen keels where about. Those questions were answered as he was greeted at the front gates. As Keel looked around at the new cradle of mankind's rebirth he could not help but sense dread at the presence of Aetius. Gendo meet with Keel inside of his new housing, which was model after an 18th century manor.  
  
"Chairman Keel why is the US government doing all this. Such lavishness must have come at an inexorborate price."  
  
"Well unlike the Japanese government, the Americans tend to offer more to those who they see as necessary. Their mentality is: "happy worker is hard worker". I think it pays off nicely."  
  
"Indeed. Now as to the plans you gave me, the ones involving Aetius?"  
  
"Ah yes. The necessary steps are being made even now. In a matter of 24 hours, Aetius will be eliminated."  
  
  
  
The armed guards walked in unison along the stark white hallways, their feet clamping in unison. Aetius was busy going over notes in his private room when the guards ripped down the door and ran inside, their guns locked and ready. Aetius was then quickly subdued by fierce. In a mere minute and a half, high Commander of the Un secondary Forces Aetius was under the custody of the US Government. Yui and Keel were called into General Westgate's office to be briefed on the situation. Westgate was in a very angry mood just by looking at his face. Yui sat down as a video monitor of the Seafronts cameras was brought up. On the monitor one could clearly see images of Aetius hacking into the auxiliary ports of a computer terminal and calling up a timer on the detonation devices, easily muting the alarm signals.  
  
"Aetius was the one?!" said Yui in a sate of disbelief.  
  
"Yes ma'am. We just received these tapes from the GeoFront recovery team. We now have the man Aetius in protective custody now. Apparently he is the sole remaining leader of LEGION and its sister group that operates out of the US, BANE."  
  
"What will be done with him?" asked Yui  
  
"He will be imprisoned and sentenced to death b a military jury most likely. I simply wanted to inform you that this action has granted Keel full charge of these facilities since Aetiuses connections with the Military and the Un are now to be dissolved. SEELE is in charge now."  
  
Aetius looked like a ravenous caged animal behind his cell in the bases holding facilities. His robes now replaced by a prisoner's uniform, he seemed quite out of place. Where he belonged…jail. Yui looked in through the bars at the man who had wrought so much suffering upon their organization, upon her ideals if a free mankind.  
  
"Why Aetius. Why did you destroy the GeoFront?"  
  
"I didn't! I was betrayed by those I thought I could trust! Those tapes are doctored lies I tell you!"  
  
"I wouldn't expect LEGION to be a very friendly organization, even to its leaders."  
  
"It wasn't LEGION that did this to me! I would be glad to tell you the name of my betrayer but it would jeopardize a dream I have been working towards for nearly 2,000 years!"  
  
"Than it is true. You and Keel are immortal, wandering through the ages as phantoms seeking rest."  
  
"Indeed Ikari! My ties with LEGION are those of creation! I founded LEGION all those ears ago and Keel stepped in with his Evangelions. I knew then that he possessed the true keys to heaven, keys I still wish to seize! But now look at me. Betrayed by that sniveling little bastard!"  
  
"You mean Damien?"  
  
"How the hell do you know about HIM!" Aetius screamed aloud, his eyes red with rage and anger.  
  
"I have known even before he and you arrived. How stupid do you think I am? I run NERV with both eyes open but blindfolded with my fingers in my ears. How obvious do you think you and Damien are anyway? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see all the little plot twists you have been adding to the saga here but even I never guessed either of you would destroy the entire GeoFront. Why?"  
  
"Because it is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Japanese soil is not where the ascension will occur, but rather, in The New Babylon. What better lace than in new York city eh?"  
  
"So you slaughtered thousands of men and woman?"  
  
"If the prophecy wasn't carried out by me that it would have come to pass through somebody else! Besides. I bought you and your pet pilots some time. The 5th will be here soon and your going to need all the help you can GET!"  
  
"What do you knew of the 5th demon Aetius?"  
  
"Everything. He is Legions creation after all. We took the ruined form of the 5th child, Kawru Nagisa, and twisted I am into a visage of power, of the full demonic potential. He is out there even now, coming here. You can't hide from that truth Yui. But if you knew about Damien from the start, why not eliminate him from the ASIER equation?"  
  
"Because that is not the way destiny will work. I know full well what Damien intends to do and I know Shinji and the others will be able to stop him."  
  
"Yui you truly are a fool. You cannot stop his second coming. Even if you do, I guarantee you the price will be the worlds damnation!"  
  
"Well we'll soon find out wont we. It would appear the 5th demon has arrived."  
  
  
  
Kawru stood before the entrance to the massive military facility, having just physically crushed two tanks trying to black his way.  
  
"IKARI!" his voice resonated as he unleashed his full demonic force, tearing the concrete under his feet away like a wet sack. The moment had come, his time was now and he would destroy his one target, his one nemesis: Yui Ikari. 


End file.
